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‘Maturing’ Bonny South Headlines Field Of 11 In Black-Eyed Susan

An evenly-matched field of 11 fillies, led by graded-stakes winners Bonny South, Hopeful Growth, Perfect Alibi and Project Whiskey, are set to gather for the 96th running of the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G1) Saturday, Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course.

The 1 1/8-mile Black-Eyed Susan for 3-year-old fillies will be Race 10 on an all-stakes Preakness Day program, immediately preceding the 145th edition of the Preakness Stakes (G1). Post time for the Black-Eyed Susan is 4:41 p.m., and will be part of NBC's national television coverage from 4:30-6 p.m.

First run in 1919 as the Pimlico Oaks, the 1 1/8-mile Black-Eyed Susan was originally scheduled for May 15 in its traditional spot on Preakness eve, but both races were subsequently rescheduled amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the Black-Eyed Susan repositioned on the Preakness undercard.

Nine horses to win the Black-Eyed Susan have gone on to be named champion 3-year-old filly including Hall of Famers Twilight Tear, Davona Dale, Serena's Song, Silverbulletday and Royal Delta. Among other prominent winners are Hall of Famer Gallorette; Nellie Morse, the only filly to also win the Preakness, in 1924; High Voltage, Caesar's Wish and Wide Country.

Post time for the first of 12 races Preakness Day is 11 a.m.

Juddmonte Farms homebred Bonny South was rerouted to the Black-Eyed Susan following the announcement in mid-August that it was to join the Preakness lineup. The chestnut daughter of multiple graded-stakes winning sprinter Munnings tuned up for the race with a five-furlong work in 1:01 Saturday morning at Churchill Downs.

Winner of the Fair Grounds Oaks (G2) in March, Bonny South was a closing second behind Swiss Skydiver in the 1 ¼-mile Alabama (G1) last out Aug. 15 at Saratoga and then bypassed the Kentucky Oaks (G1) Sept. 4. Swiss Skydiver is entered to face the boys in the Preakness.

“Since the Alabama she's done really, really well,” trainer Brad Cox said. “She's maturing. She's still somewhat lightly raced, only run six times in her life. I think we have yet to see the best of her. Hopefully, she'll take a step forward.”

Florent Geroux, up for both her recent work and the Fair Grounds Oaks, will ride Bonny South from Post 5 at 124 pounds, sharing topweight with Project Whiskey and Perfect Alibi.

Tracy Farmer's Perfect Alibi won the Schuylerville (G2) and Spinaway (G1) at 2 but has gone winless in five tries since, including a second in the Alcibiades (G1) and a fourth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) to cap her rookie season. She didn't get started this year until June and finished off the board in the one-mile Acorn (G1) and seven-furlong Test (G1) before running third by a length in the Sept. 7 Weber City Miss at Laurel, an automatic qualifier for the Black-Eyed Susan.

Trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, Perfect Alibi drew outside Post 11 with jockey Paco Lopez.

St. Elias Stable's Hopeful Growth was fifth to Project Whiskey in the 1 1/16-mile Delaware Oaks (G3) July 4, but avenged that loss with a four-length triumph in the Aug. 1 Monmouth Oaks (G3). Most recently she was sixth to Bonny South's stablemate Shedaresthedevil in the Kentucky Oaks.

Hopeful Growth will carry 122 pounds including jockey Trevor McCarthy from Post 8.

Cash is King and LC Racing's Project Whiskey, who captured the Parx Juvenile Fillies last fall, was a determined half-length winner of the Delaware Oaks at odds of 38-1. She ran well to be a decisive second in the Monmouth Oaks and got within four lengths of the lead midway through the Weber City Miss before tiring to be last of nine.

“She hasn't run well at Laurel, so we're not sure if she just doesn't like the surface too much,” trainer Robert E. 'Butch' Reid Jr. said. “She didn't get away clean and got back a little further than she normally is and had to eat some dirt, and it wasn't to her liking.

“She came out of her race like she never even ran,” he added. “We're going to give her a mulligan on that one and look for better things because she's training perfectly. So, we're going to take another shot.”

Victor Carrasco has the call on Project Whiskey from Post 1.

Three horses – Landing Zone, Miss Marissa and Mizzen Beau – enter the Black-Eyed Susan off victories. Alfonso Cammarota's Miss Marissa has won two straight including a front-running optional claiming allowance going 1 1/8 miles Aug. 13 at Saratoga, while Mizzen Beau captured the 1 1/16-mile Bison City over Woodbine's all-weather surface Sept. 12.

BB Horses Landing Zone takes a three-race win streak into the Black-Eyed Susan for Maryland's three-time defending leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez. The Morning Line filly has stretched out from 5 ½ furlongs to a mile to one mile and 70 yards in each of her victories, which have come by 16 ¾ combined lengths.

“The last two races have been really big and we decide with the owner to take shot in the big race,” Gonzalez said. ““I believe the longer races, she's more relaxed and she likes it more. In the morning when she breezes, she looks good. Sometimes she beats the good fillies and in the afternoon she wasn't showing what she was in the morning. That's why I told the owner I want to figure out what is the best I can do to change something and when we did, she likes it.”

Landing Zone went gate to wire to win by 11 lengths at Delaware Park Aug. 31, following up with a 3 ½-length triumph over Black-Eyed Susan rival So Darn Hot Sept. 10. Gonzalez claimed her for $25,000 out of a runner-up finish sprinting six furlongs last November at Laurel.

“I claimed her last year and she was very nervous for everything. Now she's more mature and she looks better and not nervous like before, even in the paddock,” Gonzalez said. “That's why she improved a lot. Now we can train her different and she likes it. She's showing me now in her last few races. Her last few races have been really good.”

Angel Cruz will ride Landing Zone for her stakes debut from Post 10.

“It's very exciting for me. Horses [that cost] a lot of money, I don't have horses like that. But I try to claim horses with back class or something like that and try to improve them,” Gonzalez said. “Now I have horses in the stakes races and I believe that's good not only for me but for everybody. They can see we're doing something good and doing good work.”

Trainer George Weaver captured last year's Black-Eyed Susan with Point of Honor, who would go on to run second in the coaching Club American Oaks (G1) and Alabama at 3 and the Ogden Phipps (G1) in June. Weaver returns to defend his title with Stetson Racing, Lanni Donato and Rita Riccelli's So Darn Hot, owner of a six-length maiden win June 18 at Belmont Park from just four lifetime starts.

Completing the field are Sharp Starr, most recently third in the Fleet Indian against fellow New York-breds Sept. 4 at Saratoga; Truth Hurts, third in the Bison City; and Delaware Oaks runner-up Dream Marie.

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Patience Pays Off As Shared Sense Victorious In Oklahoma Derby

Into August, Godolphin's Racing operation and trainer Brad Cox had considered running Shared Sense in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby. When they opted out, the G3 Oklahoma Derby was chosen as the next stop for him and on Sunday, he came through for those connections at Remington Park in Oklahoma City, Okla.

Godolphin's top option for the Kentucky Derby for most of the year was a horse named Maxfield. When he left the Derby trail with an injury, Shared Sense became a possibility for the run for the roses the first Saturday of this month. He was a late bloomer, however, winning his first stakes race on July 8 when he took down the G3, $300,000 Indiana Derby at Indiana Grand. While he earned 20 points to qualify for the Kentucky Derby field, he would have had to be supplemented for $45,000 if they wanted to take on Tiz the Law and Authentic. The connections opted to keep him on a different route and that's when he came to Remington Park.

“We just didn't feel like he had the turn of foot coming out of the gate that you need to be in position to run against horses like those in the Kentucky Derby,” said Blake Cox, who represented his dad, Brad Cox, at Remington Park. “We always thought he was a nice horse, but he still needed to learn some things.”

A perfect example of Shared Sense's lack of a turn of foot came after he won the Indiana Derby and was entered back in the $200,000 Ellis Park Derby on Aug. 9. If a horse doesn't have the temerity to get position out of the gate as Cox mentioned, it can be an even tougher task to beat this class of horse from the outside 12-post position. That's what he drew for the Ellis Park Derby and he left the starting gate dead last. He was behind the field down the backstretch of that race and did close, but could do no better than fifth.

That's when Blake Cox said his father, Brad, talked to Godolphin representatives and they opted out of Kentucky for Oklahoma to give him more experience.

Brad Cox, the second-leading trainer in the country behind Remington Park leading trainer Steve Asmussen, has stable earnings of more than $11 million this year. Cox became the first trainer to win the Oklahoma Derby in back-to-back years, having also scored in the 2019 edition with Owendale.

Shared Sense, a 3-year-old Kentucky-bred colt by Street Sense out of the Bernardini mare Collective, was made the betting favorite at 9-5 odds, and pulled away deep in the stretch for a two-length victory over Mo Mosa (5-1) in second. Lightly raced Liam, making his first start against winners, and first stakes try, ran third at 26-1, another 2 1/2 lengths back.

A pair of horses with plenty of action on the tote board that didn't live up to the backing were Oklahoma-bred Rowdy Yates (5-1) in sixth and Dean Martini (4-1) in seventh. Rowdy Yates was trying to become only the third Oklahoma-bred to win this race but didn't have any rally into the stretch. Dean Martini pressed the pace into the stretch but backed up over the final furlong.

Jockey Richard Eramia took comfortable rein on Shared Sense down the backstretch of the 1 1/8-mile race on the main track, sitting fifth.

“I had a little hold on him and he was relaxed behind horses,” said Eramia. “I knew I had a lot of horse left and the best horse in the race.”

Eramia and Shared Sense put a head in front at the top of the lane before drawing off from their competition.

Shared Sense hit the finish line in 1:49.88 over the fast surface. The final time was well off the stakes and track record, set in 1998 by Classic Cat in 1:48. Shared Sense chased fractions set by Liam of :24.11 for the first quarter-mile, :48.96 for the half-mile, 1:13.75 for three-quarters of mile, and 1:38.14 for the mile.

Shared Sense earned $120,000 for the win, his fourth from 10 starts to go along with two seconds while boosting his overall bankroll to $447,745 lifetime. He was bred in Kentucky by the owner. Shared Sense was not the top money earner in this nine-horse field, going in, but he was coming out, proving he is learning his craft.

The complete order of finish in the Oklahoma Derby was Shared Sense, Mo Mosa, Liam, Avant Garde, Salow, Rowdy Yates, Dean Martini, Code Runner and Creative Plan.

Remington Park racing continues into a new month with a Thursday-Saturday schedule on Oct 1-3. The first race nightly is at 7:07pm-Central.

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Shared Sense Tabbed As 5-2 Morning Line Favorite In Sunday’s Oklahoma Derby

A competitive field of nine horses were drawn Wednesday morning for Sunday's Grade 3, $200,000 Oklahoma Derby at Remington Park, with Indiana Derby winner Shared Sense being made the 5-2 morning-line favorite.

The 32nd Oklahoma Derby is set for the 10th race of 11 on Sunday. The stakes-laded program of action begins at 3pm with the Oklahoma Derby set for 7:12pm. All times are Central.

The three horses with top earnings in the field are close in talent and in odds with Dean Martini at 7-2. He comes in as the winner of the Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby and the top money earner in the field of nine horses at $393,202. Rowdy Yates, trying to become only the third Oklahoma-bred to win the Oklahoma Derby (Clever Trevor in 1989 and Shotgun Kowboy in 2015), is second in earnings with $346,556, and listed as the third-choice in the morning line at 4-1 odds. He will carry the colors of L and N Racing of Tulsa, Okla., and will be the hometown favorite, having won two stakes races over the Remington Park track as a 2-year-old last year. The favorite, Shared Sense, is third in earnings at $327,745.

Here's a closer look at your 2020 Oklahoma Derby field:

1 – Salow, 15-1

Owner: Tony Caver and D.K. Strickland of Cordova, Tenn.

Trainer: Terry Brennan

Jockey: Iram Diego

Undefeated Kentucky-bred colt by Distorted Humor, out of the Five Star Day mare Eve Giselle, is very lightly raced. He is two-for-two lifetime and both victories came over the turf. He won a maiden special weight race at Gulfstream Park in July at the Hallandale, Fla., track. He then followed that up with a win greensward at the first-level allowance level as the 2-1 favorite at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas on Aug. 2. He won his maiden race by 2-3/4 lengths and then scored by one length in allowance-company. He hasn't raced since Aug. 2, but has a bullet work at a half mile at Double M Training track in Arkansas, just outside of Hot Springs. He covered a half mile in :49.80 seconds breezing on Sept. 7. This will be the colt's first try in a stakes race. Earnings of $48,600.

2 – Creative Plan, 8-1

Owner: M and M Racing of Colleyville, Texas

Trainer: Karl Broberg

Jockey: Orlando Mojica

Another entrant with more experience on the turf than the dirt, but has shown a willingness to win. The gelded Kentucky-bred son of Creative Cause, out of the Divine Park mare Let's Park, has won four-of-seven in his career, two wins on the grass and two on the dirt or off-track. Five of his seven starts have come on turf courses. Both times he has started on the main track, he was a winner, however. His first win came on the turf course at Fair Grounds in New Orleans in a maiden claiming $30,000 race and he came home 3-1/4 lengths in front. His other three wins have come in allowance or allowance-optional claiming conditions at Lone Star Park in Grand Prairie, Texas, and Canterbury Park in Minnesota. His main track wins have both come at the one-mile distance. In his only stakes try, he ran third in the $100,000 Mystic Derby at Canterbury on July 15, beaten only one length. Trainer Karl Broberg has been the winningest conditioner in the country for six years. Earnings of $74,265.

3 – Rowdy Yates, 4-1

Owner: L and N Racing of Tulsa, Okla.

Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Jockey: Stewart Elliott

Trained by Steve Asmussen, the leading trainer in the country by money earned this year and 15-time leading trainer and all-time winningest trainer at Remington Park. Asmussen is a Hall of Famer nationally and in Oklahoma. He is a two-time winner of the Eclipse Award for top trainer in the country. This colt by Morning Line, out of the Yes It's True mare Spring Station, has won 5-of-11 starts lifetime, four of those in stakes races. He is a two-time stakes winner over this track surface, taking the $100,000 Oklahoma Classics Juvenile on Oct. 18, 2019, at six furlongs and the $75,000 Don McNeill Stakes on Nov. 15, 2019. Both of his local stakes triumphs were against fellow Oklahoma-breds. Other than his Oklahoma stakes wins, he also took home the $100,000 Ellis Park Juvenile on Aug. 19, 2019 and the $100,000 Riley Allison Derby at Sunland Park on Jan. 26 this year. Owners L and N Racing have sent out Lookin at Lee, who ran second in the Kentucky Derby, and Echo Town, a top sprinter/miler in the country this year.

4 – Liam, 15-1

Owner: Red Lane Thoroughbreds and JSM Equine of Lexington, Ky.

Trainer: Danny Pish

Jockey: Lane Luzzi

Another lightly raced Kentucky-bred colt, showing only three starts lifetime, but winning his only try around two turns last time out. This colt by Liam's Map, out of the Street Sense mare S S Pinafore, broke his maiden at 1 mile-70 yards by a full length in near wire-to-wire fashion. He began his career as a 2-year-old at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, sprinting six furlongs and finishing sixth, beaten five lengths. He improved in his second start, running second on Aug. 29 at Remington Park, his debut as a 3-year-old with maidens. Trainer Danny Pish stretched him out to a route race and he was the winner at 4-5 odds. Liam tries a stakes race for the first time. Earnings of $22,996.

5 – Shared Sense, 5-2

Owner: Godolphin Racing of Lexington, Ky.

Trainer: Brad Cox

Jockey: Richard Eramia

This Kentucky-bred colt by Street Sense, out of the Bernardini mare Collective, won the Grade 3, $300,000 Indiana Derby at Indiana Grand on July 8 as the 5-2 favorite. He has been first or second in five-of-nine starts lifetime. Has not been out since running fifth to Art Collector in the Ellis Park Derby on Aug. 9, but has worked forwardly at Churchill Downs at Louisville, Ky., since. Trainer Brad Cox is currently second in the country in money earned with his horses pocketing more than $11 million, second only to Asmussen's $14 million-plus.

6 – Code Runner, 10-1

Owner: Calumet Farm in Lexington, Ky.

Trainer: Steve Asmussen

Jockey: Lindey Wade

This Kentucky-bred colt by Honor Code, out of the Rock Hard Ten mare Nereid, was nominated to the Kentucky Derby, but never made it to the gate for the “run for the roses.” He did, however, compete in two graded stakes races this year, trying his wares in both the Grade 1, $500,000 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., and the Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby. Code Runner was soundly defeated by two in this field while in Ohio, both Dean Martini and Rowdy Yates, but you can never discount horses out of Asmussen's barn. His best finish in stakes-company was a fifth-place finish in the $100,000 Robert Hilton Memorial at Charles Town in West Virginia on Aug. 28. Earnings of $89,887.

7 – Avant Garde, 6-1

Owner: Gelfenstein Farm of Ocala, Fla.

Trainer: Jesus Lander

Jockey: Luis Quinonez

This gelded Kentucky-bred son of Tonalist, out of the Afleet Alex mare Dancing Afleet, is riding a four-race win streak at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Fla., but all four victories have come in lesser company than he will face in a stakes race. Winning this race and the $120,000 portion of the purse would make possibly make him the “claim of the year.” Gelfenstein Farm claimed him for $10,000 out of a maiden race in Florida on Jun 10. Since the claim, trainer Jesus Lander has led him to the winner's circle in four races in a row, three of them around two turns. He has yet to race against stakes horses, but there's something to be said for a horse that likes to win and win easily. His four victories have come by a combined 17 lengths. His shortest victory margin has been 3-1/4 lengths. Earnings of $70,900.

8 – Mo Mosa, 8-1

Owner: Perry and Denise Martin

Trainer: Michael Maker

Jockey: Ramon Vazquez

This Kentucky-bred colt by Uncle Mo, out of the Eskendereya mare Roughing, competed in both the Grade 2, $400,000 Tampa Bay Derby and the Grade 1, $500,000 Arkansas Derby at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, Ark. He did not fare well in those two huge races, but gets into this race off a win by 4-1/4 lengths in first-level allowance-company Aug. 22 at Ellis Park in his last start. He was a Kentucky Derby nominee but was moved off the Derby trail after poor performances in those graded stakes. Broke his maiden by 5-3/4 lengths at Turfway Park in northern Kentucky at the one-mile distance and won comfortably last time out at one mile by 4-1/4 lengths on Aug. 22 at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky. Earnings of $78,020.

9 – Dean Martini, 7-2

Owner: Raise the BAR Racing and David Bernsen

Trainer: Thomas Amoss

Jockey: David Cabrera

This Kentucky-bred colt has two wins lifetime and nine in-the-money runs from 11 starts. Owned by Raise the BAR Racing and David Bernsen, who also owns a computer wagering business in Point Loma, California. This 3-year-old gelding by Cairo Prince, out of the Friends Lake mare Soundwave, won the Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby at Thistledown on June 27, beating Storm the Court (ran third), who was last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner. He followed that with a sixth-place run in the $200,000 Ellis Park Derby.

Remington Park racing continues this week with a special Wednesday-Sunday night schedule. Wednesday through Saturday first post is 7:07pm with nine races each night. On Sunday, Oklahoma Derby Day, there will be 11 races starting at 3pm.

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Warrior’s Charge To Prep For Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile In Saturday’s Ack Ack At Churchill Downs

Ten Strike Racing and Madaket Stables' multiple stakes winner Warrior's Charge tops a full field of 14 that were entered in Saturday's $100,000 Ack Ack (Grade 3) at Churchill Downs.

The one-mile Ack Ack, carded as Race 9 with a post time of 4:53 p.m., could serve as a prep for the $1 million Breeders' Cup Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile (GI) on Nov. 7 at Keeneland. First post Saturday is 12:45 p.m.

Trained by Brad Cox, Warrior's Charge was elevated to first in last month's Philip H. Iselin Stakes (G3) at Monmouth after interference by Pirate's Punch in the stretch. Warrior's Charge, a 4-year-old son of Munnings, won the $500,000 Razorback (G3) at Oaklawn earlier this year and finished second behind By My Standards in the $600,000 Oaklawn Handicap (G2).

Jockey Florent Geroux will ride Warrior's Charge in the Ack Ack from post No. 1.

Among the other rivals that entered Saturday's affair include Don Tiger's multiple graded stakes winner American Anthem; Calumet Farm's 2019 Preakness (GI) runner-up Everfast; Allied Racing and Spendthrift Farm's four-time Grade III hero Mr. Money; and Heads Up Racing and M and M Racing's multiple stakes winner Pioneer Spirit.

In total, the Ack Ack field has combined for 65 wins and more than $6.94 million in purse earnings.

The complete field for the Ack Ack in order of post position (with jockey and trainer): Warrior's Charge (Geroux, Cox); Bourbon Calling (Brian Hernandez Jr., Ian Wilkes); Proverb (Adam Beschizza, Richard Baltas); American Anthem (James Graham, Mike Maker); Mr. Money (Gabriel Saez, Bret Calhoun); Pioneer Spirit (David Cohen, Robertino Diodoro); Alkhaatam (Declan Cannon, Danny Peitz); Ebben (Corey Lanerie, Steve Margolis); Bankit (Ricardo Santana Jr., Steve Asmussen); Thirstforlife (Chris Landeros, Wes Hawley); Dinar (Rafael Bejarano, Cherie DeVaux); Home Base (Joe Rocco Jr., Mike Tomlinson); and Everfast (Julien Leparoux, Jack Sisterson).

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