Luminance Among Nine for Black-Eyed Susan

Trainer Bob Baffert, who will have certain favorite American Pharoah in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) May 16 at Pimlico Race Course, will seek his fourth Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (gr. II) victory one day earlier with Luminance.

 

The $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan is Pimlico's signature race for 3-year-olds fillies. The 1 1/8-mile event goes as the race 11 on the 14-race card that includes six other stakes, with an approximate post time of 4:50 p.m. EDT.

 

Luminance, runner-up in the Santa Anita Oaks (gr. I) April 4, trained at Churchill Downs for a possible start in the May 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), but Baffert decided to find another race for the filly owned by Kaleem Shah, also the owner of Preakness hopeful Dortmund.

 

"After surveying everything there—she's a really good filly—I just wanted to prep her for the Acorn (gr. I, June 6 at Belmont Park) down the road," Baffert said of the Tale of the Cat   filly. "You want to place them where they can be competitive and not be too hard on them."

 

Winner of two of three starts, Luminance was the early leader in the Santa Anita Oaks, but couldn't hold off Stellar Wind, who won that 1 1/16-mile race by 5 1/4 lengths. Stellar Wind went on to finish fourth in the Kentucky Oaks.

 

Danessa Deluxe, a Summer Bird filly trained by Jorge Navarro for Gelfenstein Farm, also is graded stakes-placed. In her only start this year, she finished third, two lengths behind winner Birdatthewire, in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (gr. II) going 1 1/16 miles. 

 

As a 2-year-old, Danessa Deluxe won two of five starts. In her final start in 2014, she finished fourth in the Delta Downs Princess (gr. III), five lengths behind winner Take Charge Brandi, the year's champion 2-year-old filly.

 

Devine Aida, an Unbridled's Song filly trained by Ramon Morales for Frank Stronach's Stronach Stable, is a multiple stakes winner. At Gulfstream Park this year, she won the Ginger Brew, a mile turf race, by 3 1/2 lengths and the 1 1/8-mile Herecomesthebride, which was switched from turf to a sloppy main track, by 6 3/4 lengths. In her most-recent start, Devine Aida finished fourth in the Gulfstream Park Oaks, eight lengths behind Birdatthewire.

 

"I thought all the time, she could be a grass filly," Morales said, "but Mr. Stronach, he'd like to see her better on the dirt."

 

Ahh Chocolate, an undefeated Candy Ride   filly trained by Neil Howard for Stoneway Farm, will be making her stakes debut. She came from behind to win a sprint against maidens in February at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots by three-quarters of a length and rallied from midpack to win a 1 1/16-mile allowance race April 8 at Keeneland by 1 3/4 lengths.

 

"Her first race was very professional," Howard said. "She's always been a little bit ahead of her time, demeanor-wise. We thought the race at Keeneland was a strong race.

 

"Pedigree-wise, physically, she's kind of a big rangy filly," he said. "Her running style, you would think it would be well within her."

 

Sweetgrass, a Street Sense   filly trained by Ian Wilkes, has won two for four starts, including a seven-furlong allowance race at Keeneland in her last race. She will be trying two turns for the first time.

 

Also entered are Fantasy (gr. III) winner Include Betty, most recently eighth in the Kentucky Oaks; Gypsy Judy, winner of the Wide Country Stakes at Laurel Park in February; and maiden winners Keen Pauline and Pure.