Triple Crown season rolls north this week for all the traditions of Maryland, with a twist of course. Nobody will say Hi Ho Pimlico this year, with the action shifting to Laurel Park during the ongoing construction project in Baltimore.
Black-Eyed Susan Day kicks things into gear with a strong stakes-heavy card on tap led by the $300,000 headliner for 3-year-old fillies and co-featured $250,000, Grade 3 Pimlico Special for older horses. Four other stakes await horsemen and horseplayers, offering dirt and turf, short and long events.
The day starts at 11:30 a.m. and goes until almost 7 p.m., with the Special going at 5:37 and Black-Eyed Susan at 6:14.
How about some picks for these races? Our expanded team of nine returns for Preakness Weekend and have the selections here. They did fairly well on the Kentucky Oaks-Kentucky Derby weekend to open the Triple Crown season.
Tom Law leads the way with five winners, after a three-win Derby Day performance with Yellow Card in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint, Crude Velocity in the Pat Day Mile and Rhetorical in the Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic. He’s one clear of Joe Clancy and John Shapazian, who also enjoyed three-win showings on Derby Day. Five others – Alec DiConza, Charles Bedard, Sean Clancy, Rob Whitlock and Paul Halloran – are tied for fourth with three wins apiece. Jessica Paquette trails with two wins, but she was the lone handicapper to come up with historic $48.24 winner Golden Tempo in the Kentucky Derby.
NBC will broadcast the late portion of the card – including the Pimlico Special and Black-Eyed Susan – on Peacock and NBC Sports Network starting at 5 p.m. ET.
Here are the picks for Black-Eyed Susan Day 2026. Good luck.
Miss Preakness Stakes (G3). $150,000, 3-year-olds, fillies, 6 furlongs. Post time 3:20 p.m. ET.
Field of seven sophomore fillies lead off the weekend stakes slate, including the 5-for-6 Little Miss Curlin from the rail in first start for trainer Steve Asmussen. Daughter of Charlatan won three straight Louisiana-bred stakes in her native state late last year and into this winter. Chad Summers, hoping for a big weekend, sends out maiden winner Lights Out Leni, while Brittany Russell shortens Peach Tie back up after close second at odds-on in the Beyond The Wire Stakes last time out.
- John Shapazian: Little Miss Curlin, Tessellate, Lights Out Leni.
- Tom: Lights Out Leni, Little Miss Curlin, Tessellate.
- Alec DiConza: Lights Out Leni, Little Miss Curlin, Tessellate.
- Joe Clancy: Lights Out Leni, Little Miss Curlin, Tessellate.
- Rob Whitlock: Little Miss Curlin, Lights Out Leni, Victory Music.
- Jessica Paquette: Peach Tie, Late Night Text, Victory Music.
- Paul Halloran: Tessellate, Little Miss Curlin, Lights Out Leni.
- Charles Bedard: Lights Out Leni, Little Miss Curlin, Late Night Text.
- Sean Clancy: Tessellate, Little Miss Curlin, Peach Tie.
Hilltop Stakes. $125,000, 3-year-olds, fillies, 1 mile, turf. Post time 3:54 p.m.
Ultimate Love, beaten favorite in last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, makes her 2026 debut for trainer Mike Trombetta. Live Oak homebred daughter of Curlin won her two starts on the Laurel turf last year, including the Selima Stakes to earn the trip to Del Mar. She takes on six foes, including maiden winner Use Me and Coach Mazzula, a winner on the course last November.
- John: Ultimate Love, Use Me, Coach Mazzula.
- Tom: Ultimate Love, Siouxse, Use Me.
- Alec: Ultimate Love, Use Me, Brat Pack.
- Joe: Ultimate Love, Brat Pack, Coach Mazzula.
- Rob: Ultimate Love, Use Me, Unmiztaken.
- Jessica: Use Me, Ultimate Love, Unmiztaken.
- Paul: Ultimate Love, Brat Pack, Use Me.
- Charles: Use Me, Coach Mazzula, Ultimate Love.
- Sean: Ultimate Love, Use Me, Siouxse.
Allaire DuPont Distaff Stakes. $125,000, 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 1 1/8 miles. Post time 4:28 p.m.
We mentioned Margie’s Intention above and she’s back in Maryland this year after a strong sophomore campaign where she won the Black-Eyed Susan and placed in the Alabama, Beldame and Delaware Oaks before selling for $1.3 million at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November “Night of the Stars” sale. She prepped for this with a runner-up in a Louisiana-bred stakes at Fair Grounds in late March. Seven others take her on, including Laurel stakes winner Complexity Jane, last-out Keeneland winner Queen Azteca, Grade 1-placed Parx shipper Ourdaydreaminggirl and New York shipper Waveless for Repole Stable and Todd Pletcher.
- John: Margie’s Intention, Complexity Jane, Late Nite Call.
- Tom: Margie’s Intention, Waveless, Queen Azteca.
- Alec: Margie’s Intention, Queen Azteca, Waveless.
- Joe: Margie’s Intention, Queen Azteca, Waveless.
- Rob: Margie’s Intention, Complexity Jane, Queen Azteca.
- Jessica: Ourdaydreaminggirl, Margie’s Intention, Queen Azteca.
- Paul: Margie’s Intention, Waveless, Ourdaydreaminggirl.
- Charles: Margie’s Intention, Waveless, Low Country Magic.
- Sean: Margie’s Intention, Waveless, Too Many Kisses.
The Very One Stakes. $100,000, 3-year-olds and up, fillies and mares, 5 1/2 furlongs, turf. Post time 5:02 p.m.
One of our all-time favorites, the The Very One. Any chance to use the double the, we take it. Nine fillies and mares set to go slightly extended distance – at Pimlico the The Very One is at 5 furlongs on the turf. Saturday Flirt didn’t fire in return last time out in the Grade 2 Giant’s Causeway but should rebound here for trainer Wesley Ward. Lost And Found puts two-race win streak on the line in her first start for Brittany Russell while Somnium looks to make big sister Caravel proud for local connections.
- John: Les Reys, Saturday Flirt, Lost And Found.
- Tom: Somnium, Les Reys, Saturday Flirt.
- Alec: Saturday Flirt, Les Reys, Sunna.
- Joe: Strutsherstuff, Saturday Flirt, Sunna.
- Rob: Lost And Found, Sporting Lady, Saturday Flirt.
- Jessica: Les Reys, Lost And Found, Saturday Flirt.
- Paul: Saturday Flirt, Sporting Lady, Les Reys.
- Charles: Sporting Lady, Saturday Flirt, Lost And Found.
- Sean: Lost And Found, Somnium, Sunna.
Pimlico Special Stakes (G3). $250,000, 3-year-olds and up, 1 3/16 miles. Post time 5:37 p.m.
Older horses looking to make some noise in the division take their turn on center stage in longtime Maryland fixture. Awesome Aaron returns to defend his title for Norm Casse, and looks to continue improvement off seventh in the Grade 3 Oaklawn Mile and fourth in the Grade 3 Ben Ali. Linda Rice ships Yo Daddy, winner of the Excelsior last time out, from New York, while Navajo Warrior comes in from Florida for Saffie Joseph Jr. Maclean’s Rook, 2-for-4 at Laurel for Mike Trombetta, flies the flag for the local continent off a win in March at Colonial Downs.
- John: Maclean’s Rook, Navajo Warrior, Awesome Aaron.
- Tom: San Siro, Maclean’s Rook, Navajo Warrior.
- Alec: San Siro, Awesome Aaron, Yo Daddy.
- Joe: San Siro, Navajo Warrior, Awesome Aaron.
- Rob: Duke Of Duval, Yo Daddy, San Siro.
- Jessica: Awesome Aaron, Duke Of Duval, Yo Daddy.
- Paul: San Siro, Yo Daddy, Awesome Aaron.
- Charles: Navajo Warrior, San Siro, Yo Daddy.
- Sean: Yo Daddy, Navajo Warrior, San Siro.
George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2). $300,000, 3-year-olds, fillies, 1 1/8 miles. Post time 6:14 p.m.
Margie’s Intention prepped for success in this race in last year’s Louisiana Broodmare of the Year Stakes and the Crescent City Oaks and Braken Poppa looks to do the same thing in the 2026 renewal. Braken Poppa won both of those races by sizable margins and probably merits the favorite’s role in field of 10 for the day’s co-feature. She takes on Jumping the Gun, the 3-1 morning-line pick off a third behind fellow Black-Eyed Susan runners Ivy Girl and A. P.’s Girl; along with Gulfstream Park Oaks runner-up My Miss Mo and Valley of Vapors winner Holly’s Holiday. Cool race.
- John: Bracken Poppa, Jumping The Gun, Holly’s Holiday.
- Tom: Braken Poppa, Holly’s Holiday, My Miss Mo.
- Alec: My Miss Mo, Holly’s Holiday, Braken Poppa.
- Joe: My Miss Mo, Jumping The Gun, Ivy Girl.
- Rob: My Miss Mo, Holly’s Holiday, Braken Poppa.
- Jessica: Ivy Girl, My Miss Mo, Miss Fulton Gal.
- Paul: Holly’s Holiday, My Miss Mo, Ivy Girl.
- Charles: A P’s Girl, Braken Poppa, Holly’s Holiday.
- Sean: Braken Poppa, Holly’s Holiday, Ivy Girl.
