BLACK-EYED SUSAN (G2) POSSIBLE FOR GRADE 3 WINNER COSMIC BURST

94^th Running of $250,000 Stakes Headlines Friday, May 18 Program

BALTIMORE – Norma Lee Stockseth and Todd Dunn’s 3-year-old filly Cosmic Burst, winner of the Honeybee (G3) March 10, is being considered for the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) Friday, May 18 at legendary Pimlico Race Course.

Nominations for the 1 1/8-mile Black-Eyed Susan close May 8 and trainer Donnie Von Hemel said Tuesday that Cosmic Burst, a bay daughter of Grade 1 winner Violence and granddaughter of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper would be among the list of horses.

“We’ll probably get a chance to breeze her over the weekend and have a better feel for what may or may or not be running in the Black-Eyed Susan and kind of figure out if that’s something we need to do or not,” Von Hemel said. “We’re still a few days out so we’ll see how things go between now and then.”

A bargain $25,000 yearling purchase at Keeneland’s September 2016 sale, Cosmic Burst has won four of seven starts and $287,080 in purse earnings since her debut last fall at Churchill Downs. She closed her juvenile campaign with a win in the Trapeze Stakes at Remington Park and won the 1 1/16-mile Honeybee by 1 ¾ lengths in her graded debut.

Last out Cosmic Burst finished fourth, beaten 3 ¾ lengths, in a rainy edition of the Fantasy (G3) April 13, also at Oaklawn Park. The top two finishers in that race, Sassy Sienna and Wonder Gadot, went on to run sixth and second, respectively, in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) May 4.

“We bought her as a yearling and when she first came to the track as a 2-year-old she showed some talent right away,” Von Hemel said. “It’s hard to fault what she’s done so far. We were a little disappointed on Fantasy day but the two races where she’s run good but probably not as well as expected have been on off tracks. She’s just done way better than we could have hoped for, certainly. I think she’s one of the top-flight fillies in the country.”

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin said he plans to ship multiple stakes-placed filly Sara Street to Pimlico for the Black-Eyed Susan.

Godolphin’s Sara Street, by 2007 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner and Preakness runner-up Street Sense, has raced three times this year, all at Aqueduct. She broke her maiden in her sophomore debut Feb. 4, then ran second in the one-mile Busher Stakes March 3 and 1 1/8-mile Gazelle (G2) April 7, the latter by a half-length to My Miss Lilly, who went on to run in the Kentucky Oaks (G1) May 4.

About Pimlico Race Course

Legendary Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness® Stakes, the Middle Jewel in horse racing’s famed Triple Crown, first opened its doors on October 25, 1870, and is the second oldest racetrack in the United States. Pimlico has played host to racing icons and Baltimoreans have seen the likes of legendary horses such as Man o’ War, Seabiscuit, Secretariat, Affirmed, American Pharoah and Cigar thunder down the stretch in thrilling and memorable competition. For more information on Pimlico, visit www.pimlico.com.

The Stronach Group is North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, home of the Pegasus World Cup Invitational, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida and is one of North America’s top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world’s largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; Xpressbet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is also a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry. For more information contact David Joseph at david.joseph@marylandracing.com or call 954.658.7156.