Runway Model Stands Out in Black-Eyed Susan

Although she is winless in three starts this year, Naveed Chowhan's Runway Model tops the short field of six 3-year-old fillies entered for Friday's Black-Eyed Susan (gr. II) at Pimlico.

One of two stakes winners entered in the 1 1/8-mile race on the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) eve card, Runway Model has won or placed in 10 of 13 starts, with her four victories including the Darley Alcibiades (gr. II) and Golden Rod Stakes (gr. II) last year at age two. This year, the daughter of Petionville   trained by Bernie Flint was third in the Fair Grounds Oaks and second in the Ashland Stakes (gr. I) before finishing sixth in the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I).

Co-highweighted with Runway Model at 122 pounds is Richard N. Averill's R Lady Joy, the only other stakes winner in the field. Trained by Kirk Ziadie, the daughter of Vicar won the Florida Oaks at Tampa Bay Downs before shipping to Oaklawn Park where she ran third in the Fantasy Stakes (gr. II).

The field for the Black-Eyed Susan, in post position order, with weights and jockeys::

1 -- Pleasant Chimes, 116, Eibar Coa
2 -- Runway Model, 122, Gary Stevens
3 -- Private Gift, 116, Jerry bailey
4 -- Merrill Gold, 116, Edgar Prado
5 -- R Lady Joy, 122, Cornelio Velasquez
6 -- Spun Sugar, 116, John Velazquez