Can Lemon Muffin Snap Lukas' Black-Eyed Susan Drought?

It's been nearly 30 years since D. Wayne Lukas last won the $300,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2), but if the Hall of Fame trainer is going to end his drought in the headline race for fillies Preakness Stakes (G1) weekend at Pimlico Race Course, he'll need one of his top pupils to bring her A-game.

Lemon Muffin , who dazzled in winning the Honeybee Stakes (G3) Feb. 24 at Oaklawn Park, will need to rediscover that day's winning formula. Since then, she's finished seventh in the Fantasy Stakes (G2) and eighth in the Kentucky Oaks (G1). Both races featured star-studded fields for 3-year-old fillies and were won by Thorpedo Anna. 

In the Kentucky Oaks, Lemon Muffin was hurt by a poor break from the gate and never really challenged.

Getting Lemon Muffin back into the form that led her to finish second in four starts prior to her breaking her maiden in the Honeybee might be the biggest factor in determining who crosses the wire first.

"She has her days when she's up and down and everything," Lukas said. "On her best day, she's a very, very nice filly," Lukas said of Lemon Muffin. "But she doesn't always show up every time, so we're hoping that we get one of those days when she does."

Lukas trainees have won the Black-Eyed Susan on four occasions: Serena's Song (1995), Imaginary Lady (1989), Family Style (1986), and Lucky Lucky Lucky (1984).

Since winning with Serena's Song in 1995, Lukas has had six runners in the Black-Eyed Susan. Cara Rafaela came closest to winning in 1996 as she was second, a length back of Masabi Maiden. Lukas also hit the board with Tidal Pool, who finished third in 2010, and Cash Run, who was fourth, in 2000. 

A familiar face for Lemon Muffin is Recharge  who finished fifth in the Fantasy Stakes. 

The Steve Asmussen trainee won her first three starts, capped by the Sunland Park Oaks before the Fantasy, which was her most recent start. A daughter of Gun Runner  , Recharge is a Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred. 

She led the Fantasy for the opening half-mile before weakening down the stretch. In all but one of her four career starts, Recharge has set the pace. Whether Asmussen looks to have jockey Joel Rosario to keep Recharge just off the lead will be worth watching.

Making the trek from the West Coast is Corposo , who finished a distant third in the Santa Anita Oaks (G2). 

Trainer Peter Eurton has been stretching out the daughter of Vino Rosso   over each of her starts—going from 6 1/2 furlongs in her debut to a mile in her lone win to 1 1/16 miles in the Santa Anita Oaks. Now Corposo is tasked with going another furlong.

"I don't think she's going to cry about the distance too much, at least that's what her jocks are always telling me," Eurton said. "From the time I've had with her, everything's been pretty straightforward with her. She's got a great mind. She's a solid filly, a good 1,100 pounds or better. Nothing seems to bother her at all. I've never really seen her sweat too much, either. It's good."

Another daughter of Gun Runner is Gun Song , who has yet to finish off the board in five starts. 

Owned by R. Lee Lewis and trained by Mark Hennig, Gun Song was within striking distance last time out in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (G2), but faded down the stretch. 

"She's had some nice breezes since her last race and we happened to give her more time just because of the spacing, but she's doing super," Hennig said. "We're going to give her a shot."

Rounding out the field are Call Another Play , Jeanne Marie , Ringy Dingy , and Whocouldaskformo .

By the Numbers

0—The number of contestants who have ever raced at Pimlico. 

2—Black-Eyed Susan runners who are not Kentucky-bred (Call Another Play (Maryland) and Jeanne Marie (Pennsylvania)).

9—Most starts by any of the entrants (Call Another Play)