Adventuring Gets Graded Test in Black-Eyed Susan

Godolphin's Adventuring , a daughter of 2012 champion 3-year-old filly Questing , began her career with three off-the-turf maiden races and a stakes over a Tapeta track. The Pioneerof the Nile filly won the last of those two events and on May 14 will get her first true dirt test in the $250,000 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) at Pimlico Race Course.

Though Adventuring never got the chance to race on turf, she impressed on the main track with a 6 1/2-length maiden victory racing a mile and 70 yards Feb. 16 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots. The Brad Cox trainee returned in the March 27 Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park racing a mile. She was seventh early, advanced after a half-mile, and was ridden out to a two-length victory by Florent Geroux.

Adventuring earned enough points from that stakes win to compete in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), but connections bypassed the April 30 race at Churchill Downs for the Black-Eyed Susan, another nine-furlong event for 3-year-old fillies.

"She's training really well. She had enough points to go in the Kentucky Oaks, but we thought the Black-Eyed Susan made more sense. Plus she wasn't nominated to the Kentucky Oaks, so we'd have had an extra-large fee to run," Cox said. "But I really like her. She's out of a mare (Questing) who was a multiple grade 1 winner at a mile and an eighth and a mile and a quarter, so I think the distance is something she's going to handle. Huge, huge pedigree. She's already a stakes winner, but we need to, hopefully, get some graded wins."

Geroux will be back aboard Adventuring Friday when the filly breaks from post 9.

SF Racing's Spritz  will get another dirt try after running second in the Bourbonette Oaks, in which she posted a :46.61 half-mile and ran six furlongs in 1:11.30. The Rodolphe Brisset-trained filly broke her maiden a start earlier at Turfway in her fifth career start. Her first two starts at 2 came on dirt when racing on the Mid-Atlantic circuit for trainer Michael Stidham, but she was unplaced in those two efforts. 

"She's definitely a two-turn horse and she's tactical out of the gate," Brisset said. "She's shown us that the more we've run her, and we know that on the dirt it's a pretty good weapon. Based on the way she's breezing on the dirt, it's time to take a shot at it and see what she wants to do."

Spritz is an Awesome Again daughter and related to 2014 champion female sprinter Judy the Beauty , who is sired by Awesome Again's son Ghostzapper  .

Flavien Prat will ride Spritz from post 3.

Baoma Corporation's Beautiful Gift  was a head winner of the March 7 Santa Ysabel Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park and last out was second beaten a half-length in the April 3 Santa Anita Oaks (G2). The Medaglia d'Oro   filly ships in from Churchill Downs, where trainer Bob Baffert was suspended from racing while the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission investigates the betamethasone positive from Baffert's Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) winner Medina Spirit .

John Velazquez, who rode Medina Spirit in the Derby, has been named to ride Beautiful Gift from post 10.

Alex and JoAnn Lieblong's Willfull Woman will get her second shot at stakes company Friday. The Nyquist   daughter broke her maiden third time out Jan. 24 in the mud at Oaklawn Park, then was away slowly in the March 6 Honeybee Stakes (G3) and finished last.

"She lost it at the break. She was looking at something in the infield when they popped the gate and then got flustered when she missed it," Alex Lieblong said of the Honeybee. "It was just one of those deals where we were like, 'OK. Let's start over.'"

Willful Woman bounced back with a 2 1/2-length score in a 1 1/16-mile allowance optional claiming race April 9 on a sloppy track at Oaklawn. Trainer Steve Asmussen will have regular rider Ricardo Santana Jr. aboard from post 2.

"We think she's a really nice filly. She's just kind of kept growing into herself," Alex Lieblong said. "She was kind of a big, tall, scopey thing, so to speak, but now she's filling that scope out some so we're tickled pink with the way she's doing."

BB Horses' Miss Leslie  is the only local contender for the Black-Eyed Susan. The Paynter   filly trained by Claudio Gonzalez won the April 24 Weber City Miss Stakes racing 1 1/16 miles at Pimlico in her most recent start. J. D. Acosta retains the mount from post 7.

"When she ran the first time long, she proved right away that she loved the distance. And, she did it again the last time, too. She loves it," Gonzalez said. "It's going to be tough. It's going to be different fillies coming from outside, not only local fillies. They are coming from everywhere. It's a big race. I believe she has to show how she can handle the tough fillies."

Gazelle Stakes (G3) third Army Wife , last-out allowance winner Forever Boss , Forward Gal Stakes (G3) second Lady Traveler , maiden winner Iced Latte , and Busanda Stakes winner The Grass Is Blue  complete the field.

Entries: George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan S. (G2)

Pimlico Race Course, Friday, May 14, 2021, Race 13

• Grade II
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $250,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 5:44 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Army Wife (KY)	Joel Rosario	120	Michael J. Maker	8/1
2	2Willful Woman (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	120	Steven M. Asmussen	12/1
3	3Spritz (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Rodolphe Brisset	20/1
4	4Forever Boss (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	Kenneth G. McPeek	15/1
5	5Lady Traveler (KY)	Javier Castellano	120	Dale L. Romans	12/1
6	6Iced Latte (KY)	Luis Saez	120	Todd A. Pletcher	8/1
7	7Miss Leslie (KY)	J. D. Acosta	120	Claudio A. Gonzalez	15/1
8	8The Grass Is Blue (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	Chad C. Brown	6/1
9	9Adventuring (KY)	Florent Geroux	120	Brad H. Cox	4/1
10	10Beautiful Gift (KY)	John R. Velazquez	120	Bob Baffert	9/5