Summer Luck Eyes Black-Eyed Susan

Gary Barber's Summer Luck didn't get the scratch needed to run in the overflow Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1), but her team is looking forward to a start in the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) May 19 at Pimlico Race Course.

The daughter of 2010 Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Lookin At Lucky   won on her second attempt last fall in Kentucky, then had a pair of thirds and a close fourth in three stakes at Gulfstream Park. Summer Luck tried to close behind a crawling pace when she finished fifth in Keeneland's Central Bank Ashland Stakes (G1) last time out April 8.

"She's doing really well," said Norman Casse, son of and assistant to trainer Mark Casse, who also entered Barber and Bobby Flay's Corporate Queen in the 1 1/8-mile Black-Eyed Susan. "We wanted to run her in the Kentucky Oaks. She came back and worked really well. The pace in the Ashland was probably too slow for her liking. We really think she's a legit horse, and we're excited to have the opportunity to run her in the Black-Eyed Susan."

The 93rd running of the Black-Eyed Susan highlights a 14-race Friday program that features six stakes (four graded) worth $1.15 million, including the $300,000 Xpressbet Pimlico Special (G3), $150,000 Allaire DuPont (G3), and $150,000 Adena Springs Miss Preakness (G3).

Black-Eyed Susan entrant Full House finished third in Aqueduct Racetrack's 1 1/8-mile Gazelle Stakes (G2) behind a pair of Kentucky Oaks fillies in Miss Sky Warrior, the Gazelle's 13-length winner, and Lockdown.

"The track was very speed-favoring," Jimmy Jerkens, trainer of Full House, said of the Gazelle. "She got bothered pretty bad on the first turn. Paco (Lopez on Miss Sky Warrior) crossed over and was the favorite to get the lead. She won so easy that they're not going to take a horse down that won by a pole, but she did saw us off pretty good. She got shuffled back and was unsettled, because when you've got a full head of steam and then get shut off, it kind of gets them all discombobulated. It was a better effort that it looked on paper."

Moana, stablemate of Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) winner Always Dreaming, will try to make the jump from maiden winner at Keeneland to graded-stakes winner at Pimlico. The daughter of Uncle Mo   worked a half-mile in :48 4/5 May 14 at Pimlico, with trainer Todd Pletcher catching her in splits of :13 and :25 2/5, and her gallop out to five furlongs in 1:01 1/5 under exercise rider Nick Bush.

"The main attraction here is the mile and an eighth distance. We feel like that's what she's looking for," Pletcher said. "It's kind of an ambitious move from a maiden race, but we've always thought a lot of her."

Pletcher also entered Lights of Medina, who earned an automatic berth in the Black-Eyed Susan with her victory in the Weber City Miss April 22 at Laurel Park, which was her stakes debut.

Torrent comes into the Black-Eyed Susan off what trainer Ron Moquett calls a "deceptively good fourth" after being carried extremely wide in Oaklawn Park's Fantasy Stakes (G3).

"I think she's going to have a coming out party this race," Moquett said.

 

Shimmering Aspen will make her stakes and two-turn debut after she won a pair of sprint allowance races at trainer Rodney Jenkins' Laurel base. The daughter of Malibu Moon   finished third in her first start last August, then easily won a maiden race before she took seven months off.

The 122-pound highweight is Dancing Rags, winner of last year's Darley Alcibiades Stakes (G1) at Keeneland. In her only start this year, Dancing Rags ran sixth in Keeneland's Adena Springs Beaumont Stakes (G3).

Black-Eyed Susan S. (G2)

Pimlico Race Course, Friday, May 19, 2017, Race 11

• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $250,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 4:50 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Shimmering Aspen (KY)	Steve D. Hamilton	116	Rodney Jenkins	9/2
2	2Tapa Tapa Tapa (KY)	Jesus Lopez Castanon	116	Timothy E. Hamm	8/1
3	3Dancing Rags (MD)	Trevor McCarthy	122	H. Graham Motion	8/1
4	4Full House (KY)	Rajiv Maragh	116	James A. Jerkens	12/1
5	5Lights of Medina (KY)	Feargal Lynch	118	Todd A. Pletcher	8/1
6	6Corporate Queen (KY)	Joel Rosario	116	Mark E. Casse	15/1
7	7Moana (KY)	John R. Velazquez	116	Todd A. Pletcher	4/1
8	8Torrent (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	116	Ron Moquett	15/1
9	9Summer Luck (KY)	Javier Castellano	116	Mark E. Casse	5/1
10	10Actress (KY)	Nik Juarez	116	Jason Servis	12/1
11	11Yorkiepoo Princess (FL)	Horacio Karamanos	118	Edward R. Barker	10/1