Black-Eyed Susan Stakes Odds & Expert Picks: Adare Manor Favored in Large Field
- Friday’s Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico kicks off Preakness Stakes Weekend
- Like the Kentucky Oaks, the Black-Eyed Susan is for the top three year old girls
- Can we build our bankroll on Friday, with the Preakness Stakes on Saturday?
Thirteen horses will contest Friday’s Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. One day before the Preakness Stakes, the ladies are on center stage. They just aren’t the fillies we might have guessed.
None of the horses from the Kentucky Oaks are running in this year’s Black-Eyed Susan. Oaks winner Secret Oath is trying the boys in the Preakness. Adare Manor, who was going to be among the Oaks favorites until slipping up in her final prep race, is the reasonable Black-Eyed Susan chalk.
While Saturday’s Preakness Stakes odds are very much worth studying, if you can beat Adare Manor the payout will be solid on Friday. Even she provides decent value if you believe her resume towers over the field.
Let’s look closely at the odds and qualifications of the field.
2022 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes Odds
| Horse | Odds |
|---|---|
| Adare Manor | +250 |
| Luna Belle | +450 |
| Distinctlypossible | +600 |
| Interstatedaydream | +600 |
| Favor | +800 |
| Radio Days | +1200 |
| Beguine | +1200 |
| Divine Huntress | +1500 |
| Midnight Stroll | +1500 |
| Morning Matcha | +2000 |
| Candy Light | +2000 |
| Miss Yearwood | +2000 |
| Missy Greer | +2000 |
Odds as of May 20 from TVG
The mile-and-an-eighth Black-Eyed Susan Stakes has taken place since 1919. As you handicap, it is a good idea to know about betting on different types of horse races. This one has a purse of $250,000. The last favorite to win the event was Royal Delta in 2011. Post time is slated for 5:44 pm ET. The race is being televised by USA Network.
Trainer Todd Pletcher sends out Favor as he looks to become a five-time Black-Eyed Susan champ, which would make him the top conditioner in race history. Jockey John Velazquez is also seeking his fifth victory, and if he can guide Adare Manor to the winner’s circle, he will be the top rider in the annals of the event.
Let’s break down some of the top contenders and make our Black-Eyed Susan Stakes picks.
Adare Manor Favored
Trainer Bob Baffert has won this race three times. The most succesfull conditioner of this era is currently suspended. Tim Yakteen and Sean McCarthy are currently running his stable. McCarthy saddles Adare Manor after she lost under the care of Yakteen in last month’s Santa Anita Oaks.
The winner of the Santa Anita Oaks, Desert Dawn, ran a very good third at +5000 in the Kentucky Oaks. Adare Manor’s previous two races were commanding victories against short fields in Southern California. There are questions, but if you can get over the loss in the SA Oaks, she will be tough on Friday.
Black-Eyed Susan Stakes Contenders
Interstatedaydream ran into Kentucky Oaks’ favorite Nest in last month’s Ashland Stakes at Keeneland.
That third place performance came on the heels of an eight-length romp on an undercard event during a big day at Oaklawn Park in March. She’ll need her career best, but is lightly raced and has run well in two starts this year.
Luna Belle has won five straight races facing lesser competition at Laurel Park in Maryland.
While each of her last five races has been better than the last, she hasn’t run as fast as Adare Manor yet.
Distinctlypossible has only beaten maidens but did not disgrace herself in a Grade 1 race at Keeneland wrapping up her brief two-year-old campaign.
Finishing second to JuJu’s Map is pretty good and then she turned around and won off the bench in April. A $670,000 daughter of Curlin trained by Chad Brown, Distinctlypossible hasn’t run nearly fast enought to beat this group thus far, but she has a ton of upside.
Black-Eyed Susan Stakes Longshots
Favor is a half-million-dollar daughter of Pioneer of the Nile who has two wins in four career starts. At +1240 she ran well against two Oaks horses in March.
Pletcher certainly knows how to produce a Black-Eyed Susan Stakes winner. That said, she will need to improve on Friday to win.
Radio Days is a little bit of a tough read. Her first three races were strong. Her last two have not been as good. Hall of Famer trainer Shug McGaughey won this race in 1996 with Mesabi Maiden. The price is right, but it is unclear if Radio Days will perform better trying two turns, or won’t like the extra distance.
Black-Eyed Susan Stakes Best Bet
Adare Manor is the deserving favorite. Even her not-perfect last race would put her in the mix with this group of opponents. Her previous two wins are significantly faster than anyone else in this field has run. There are some interesting longshots that are very much worthy of serious consideration. Adare Manor, however, is the most likely winner and the price is very reasonable
Pick: Adare Manor (+250)
Dave Friedman has covered professional and college sports for two decades. From ESPN to the Associated Press, Regional Sports Networks, Metro Networks, and many local outlets, he has written about and broadcast major and minor events throughout the country.
