Stopchargingmaria captures Black-Eyed Susan Stakes

Baltimore, MD (SportsNetwork.com) – Stopchargingmaria, the 7-2 second pick, battled with longshot Vero Amore through the stretch and got to the wire first in Friday’s $500,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.

The 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-old fillies is the sister event to Saturday’s 139th Preakness Stakes.

One of two in the race trained by Todd Pletcher, Stopchargingmaria was second in the betting to stablemate Sloane Square the 3-1 favorite in the 11-horse field.

Sloane Square, ridden by Joel Rosario, was racing third with Stopchargingmaria in sixth behind pacesetters Image of Anna and Vero Amore. With Javier Castellano in the saddle, Stopchargingmaria began to advance nearing the far the turn and moved into second behind 15-1 longshot Vero Amore on the final turn.

At the top of the stretch, Stopchargingmaria and Vero Amore were along side each other and fought the length of the stretch until Pletcher’s filly stuck her neck out to claim victory.

“Terrific performance,” winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. “We actually shuffled back going a little bit into the first turn, we were hoping to be a little closer. Javier was able to move her to the outside, get in good position. She closed determinedly.

“Once she got to the outside you could tell by the far turn she was starting to make her move, everything was going smoothly at that point.”

Finishing third was Fortune Pearl followed by Joint Return, America, Arethusa, La Mejor Fiesta, Shanon Nicole, Sloane Square, Euphrosyne and Image of Anna.

The time for the Black-Eyed Susan on a good track was 1:51.79.

Stopchargingmaria gave Castellano his first win in the stakes and fourth for her trainer. The victory was worth $300,000 and is the first of the year for the filly. She’s banked $874,000 with four wins from eight career starts.

Stopchargingmaria, owned by Michael Repole, was coming off a fourth-place finish on April 5 in the Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park. She began 2014 with a fifth in the Davona Dale at Gulfstream Park.

As a 2-year-old, the filly won the Tempted and Demoiselle Stakes at Aqueduct. She was third in the Frizette at Belmont Park on Oct. 5 after finishing second in Saratoga’s Spinaway on Sept. 1 and winning her debut race at Saratoga on July 19.

Stopchargingmaria returned $9.60, $5.60 and $4.00. Vero Amore paid $12.80 and $9.40, and Fortune Pearl paid $5.80 to show.

Categorized in: Horses