The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes And The Preakness Stakes - May 17 & 18 - Previews

 The 100th running of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes has a scheduled post time of 5:44 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 17.   This used to be the second jewel of the "Fillies Triple Crown" but it has been down-graded to a Grade 2 Stakes handicap race.  The race is 9 furlongs (1 and 1/8 miles), and has a purse of $300,000.  The only filly entered that ran in the Kentucky Oaks is Lemon Muffin, trained by D. Wayne Lukas, who finished 8th in the Oaks.  She has also been assigned the highest weight in this race, 124 pounds.  (All entries in the Oaks carried 121 pounds two weeks ago.)

   There are 8 entries in the Black-Eyed Susan this year; 6 were bred in Kentucky, while Jeanne Marie was bred in Pennsylvania, and Call Another Play was bred in Maryland.  There are 5 chestnut fillies, 2 bays (Jeanne Marie and Whocouldaskformo) and Lemon Muffin is a gray/roan.  Seven stallions are represented in this race; Gun Runner sired two - Gun Song and Recharge.

   No morning-line odds have been posted for this race, so I can't tell you what they are.  As usual, I will list gate position, entry name, assigned weight, sire, and dam.

Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2)    1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs)   Purse: $300,000  Post Time: 5:44 EDT

 1.   Jeanne Marie   118    Speightser    Bouquet of Gold

 2.   Ringy Dingy   118    Dialed In    Wind Caper

 3.   Lemon Muffin   124    Collected    Pelt

 4.   Call Another Play   120    Audible    Past as Prelude

 5.   Gun Song   118    Gun Runner    Nicole H

 6.   Whocouldaskformo   118    Uncle Mo    Midnight Belle

 7.   Corposo    118    Vino Rosso    Manki

 8.   Recharge   122    Gun Runner    Remit

Lemon Muffin preps for the Kentucky Oaks in late April 2024.

She is handicapped with the highest weight in the Black-Eyed Susan.

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The 149th running of the Preakness Stakes will feature Mystik Dan, the winner of the Kentucky Derby, in search for a Triple Crown win.  However, the only previous time Mystik Dan ran only two weeks after his previous race, he tired badly.  His owners, trainer, and jockey are hoping he's developed and will be able to gut out a win in the second leg of the Triple Crown.  Besides Mystik Dan, only 17th-place Derby finisher Just Steel (trained by D. Wayne Lukas) will be running back in 2 weeks time.

   Bob Baffert has two colts running in the Preakness - being banned from Churchill Downs, Baffert could not run the highly regarded Muth and stable-mate Imagination in the Derby.  Muth is the early morning-line betting favorite, with Mystik Dan in second.

   The Preakness is 1/16 of a mile shorter than the Derby - 1 and 3/16ths miles - and this year's purse is $2 million.  The post time is listed at 7:01 p.m. EDT at old Hilltop, Pimlico Race Course, on Saturday, May 18.  Nine horses are entered, and each colt will carry 126 pounds.  All of the colts were bred in Kentucky, with the exception of Uncle Heavy, who is a Pennsylvania-bred.  Seven of the 9 entries are bays or dark browns; Seize the Grey is gray/roan, and Mugatu is a chestnut.  

   Muth and Imagination are trained by Bob Baffert; and D. Wayne Lukas also has two trainees entered, Seize the Grey and Just Steel.

   Listing the post number, entry name, morning line odds, sire, and dam.

The Preakness Stakes     1 and 3/16 miles (9.5 furlongs)    Purse: $2 million     Post time: 7:01 EDT

1.    Mugatu   20 to 1     Blofeld    Union Way

2.    Uncle Heavy   20 to 1     Social Inclusion    Expect Wonderful

3.    Catching Freedom   6 to 1    Constitution    Catch My Drift

4.    Muth    8 to 5    Good Magic    Hoppa

5.    Mystik Dan   5 to 2    Goldencents    Ma'am

6.    Seize the Grey   15 to 1    Arrogate    Smart Shopping

7.    Just Steel   15 to 1    Justify    Irish Lights (AUS)

8.    Tuscan Gold   8 to 1    Medaglia d'Oro    Valadorna

9.    Imagination   6 to 1    Into Mischief    Magical Feeling

Muth, morning line betting favorite for the Preakness Stakes

MUTH SCRATCHED from Preakness due to fever on Wednesday, 15 May.

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  Just a Note:  This year's Triple Crown will have an asterisk beside it....  Because instead of running the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park over the one-and-a-half-mile oval known as "Big Sandy," this year's Belmont will be run at Saratoga and will be run at the distance of 1 and 1/4 miles (NOT the usual 1 and 1/2 miles).

    I have noted that quite a few sports-writers are stating that with only Mystik Dan and Just Steel being entered after running in the Kentucky Derby, that the Triple Crown should "open its' eyes" and "take notice" and that the format of the three Triple Crown races needs to be changed.  They say they need to be spaced out, with at least 4 weeks between each race, and that the races should be much shorter.

   Ummmmm...  Winning the Triple Crown is supposed to be difficult.  The 3 races that comprise the Triple Crown have all been run since 1875.  Next year will be the 150th birthday of the Triple Crown, and only 13 horses have managed (so far) to win all three races in the past 123 runnings of all three.  It takes an especially tough horse to win the Triple Crown - the three races, run within 5 weeks, is a grueling test of speed and stamina, as well as an ability to race over different courses.

   If the sports-writers have their way, there will no longer be a true "Triple Crown."  If it is decided to change the dates, places, and lengths of the races, then it will no longer be the Triple Crown.