With the best of the early developing 3-year-old fillies having raced two weeks ago in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), the $300,000 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2) at Pimlico Race Course May 16 offers nine rising sophomores their chance to prove they belong in the top races later this summer.
One of the fillies on the upswing for the 1 1/8-mile contest is Paris Lily, who aims to keep the recent success of Godolphin homebreds going.
The daughter of City of Light showed promise as a 2-year-old, leading to her entry in the Untapable Stakes at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots where she finished seventh. However, trainer Brendan Walsh believes she is just now coming into her own following a gate-to-wire allowance optional claiming victory at Keeneland April 6 over a sloppy track—an added benefit given the weather forecast throughout the week in Baltimore.
"She's worked a lot better than what she ever did through the year," Walsh said of her recent training. "I think she's maturing. We always looked at her as one that physically would get better as the year went on. I think she's finally putting it together."
Video: Race 6 (AOC) at KEE on 4/6/25
On May 10, she worked a bullet five furlongs in 1:00 3/5 alongside Walsh's Lexington Stakes (G3) winner and Preakness Stakes (G1) entrant, Gosger.
"She worked every bit as good as him," Walsh said.
Among her competition is her former stablemate, Margie's Intention. The daughter of Honor A. P. has raced exclusively in her home state of Louisiana through five starts and takes her first swing at open company.
Trained by Walsh through those first five starts, owner Baron Stable sold part of the filly to WinStar Farm following her runner-up effort March 22 in the Crescent City Oaks at Fair Grounds. The partnership then transferred her to the barn of Brad Cox, who has been pleased with what she's shown in her first month with the program.
"Based off numbers and figures, she doesn't know she's a Louisiana-bred," Cox said. "I think she can compete in open company, I really do."
Her form was flattered when Blue Fire, who had beaten Margie's Intention in two Louisiana-bred stakes this winter, ran second in the May 2 Eight Belles Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs. Margie's Intention stretches out to 1 1/8 miles for the first time, a move that Cox likes.
"Based off pedigree, we thought she'd move forward with age and distance," Cox said.
At 3-1, Margie's Intention is second choice on the morning line behind Douglas Scharbauer's Runnin N Gunnin. A daughter of Gun Runner , who sired last year's Black-Eyed Susan winner Gun Song, Runnin N Gunnin exits a third-place finish in Oaklawn Park's Fantasy Stakes (G2) March 29.
The Steve Asmussen trainee is one of two stakes winners in the field. The other is BC Stables, Morplay Racing, and Joey Platt's Princess Aliyah, who enters off two weeks' rest after finishing 10th in the seven-furlong Eight Belles for D. Wayne Lukas. Original 6 Stable's Moon Cache finished first in the Beyond The Wire Stakes at Laurel Park in March for trainer Michael Gorham but was disqualified to second for interference.
Pimlico Race Course, Friday, May 16, 2025, Race 13Entries: George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Liam in the Dust (KY) John R. Velazquez 118 Rodolphe Brisset 6/1 2 2Princess Aliyah (KY) Nik Juarez 122 D. Wayne Lukas 15/1 3 3Margie's Intention (LA) Flavien Prat 118 Brad H. Cox 3/1 4 4Runnin N Gunnin (KY) Jose L. Ortiz 122 Steven M. Asmussen 5/2 5 5Kinzie Queen (KY) Junior Alvarado 122 Greg Compton 10/1 6 6Paris Lily (KY) Joel Rosario 120 Brendan P. Walsh 8/1 7 7Reply (KY) Irad Ortiz, Jr. 118 Brittany T. Russell 8/1 8 8Amarth (KY) Luis Saez 120 Eddie Kenneally 4/1 9 9Moon Cache (MD) Raul E. Mena 118 Michael E. Gorham 20/1
