Land Over Sea and Go Maggie Go will make a quick turnaround off positive runs in the Longines Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) to try another Friday feature May 20 in the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (gr. II) at Pimlico Race Course.
In the May 6 Oaks, Reddam Racing's Land Over Sea avoided another clash with undefeated Songbird—she's finished behind the 2015 champion 2-year-old filly on five occasions—but ran into another star in Oaks winner Cathryn Sophia.
Although she was 2 3/4 lengths behind Cathryn Sophia on the first Friday in May, the Bellamy Road filly trained by Doug O'Neill extended an impressive streak in the Oaks. In four starts at 3, she's finished no worse than second, all in graded events. The first two were seconds behind Songbird in the Las Virgines (gr. II) and Santa Ysabel (gr. III), then came a breakthrough victory in the Twinspires.com Fair Grounds Oaks (gr. II) and her second-place Oaks run.
Go Maggie Go is a Mike Tarp homebred who had a troubled Oaks trip, which resulted in her first loss in three starts. The Ghostzapper filly was squeezed at the start and farther back than her ideal stalking position in the Oaks, had to be steadied and traveled seven wide in the final turn to finish fourth, just a quarter-length behind Land Over Sea. Go Maggie Go entered the Oaks off a 2 1/4-length score in the Gulfstream Park Oaks (gr. II), her stakes debut.
HAMMONDS: Go Maggie Go Gallops in Oaks
Dothraki Queen is the only other graded winner in the 14-filly field, but that victory came five starts back in September, when she won the Pocahontas Stakes (gr. II) at Churchill Downs.
HAMMONDS: Dothraki Queen Rules Pocahontas
Another intriguing option could be Cheyenne Stables' Kinsley Kisses, who finished third in the Beaumont (gr. III) last time out April 17 at Keeneland in her graded stakes debut for trainer Todd Pletcher, following standout wins in her first two races at maiden special weight and allowance levels.
Graded stakes-placed runners Midnight On Oconee and Flora Dora; last-out stakes winner A P Majestic; stakes-placed In the Navy Now; allowance winner Cced; maiden winners Downdraft, Double Entendre, and Mom's On Strike; and maidens Ma Can Do It and She's a Warrior complete the field.
Pimlico Race Course, Friday, May 20, 2016, Race 11Entries: Black-Eyed Susan S. (G2)
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1A P Majetstic (PA) Victor R. Carrasco 116 Michael J. Trombetta 30/1 2 2Dothraki Queen (KY) Julien R. Leparoux 120 Kenneth G. McPeek 15/1 3 3Land Over Sea (KY) Mario Gutierrez 122 Doug F. O'Neill 2/1 4 4Ma Can Do It (KY) Brian Joseph Hernandez, Jr. 116 Dale L. Romans 30/1 5 5Go Maggie Go (KY) Luis Saez 122 Dale L. Romans 5/2 6 6She's a Warrior (KY) Gary L. Stevens 116 Peter Eurton 6/1 7 7Downdraft (KY) Angel Cruz 116 James L. Lawrence, II 30/1 8 8Double Entendre (KY) Scott Spieth 116 Peter R. Walder 30/1 9 9Midnight On Oconee (KY) Gabriel Saez 116 J. Larry Jones 15/1 10 10Kinsley Kisses (KY) John R. Velazquez 116 Todd A. Pletcher 6/1 11 11In the Navy Now (KY) Trevor McCarthy 116 Michael J. Trombetta 30/1 12 12Flora Dora (FL) Junior Alvarado 122 Marialice Coffey 30/1 13 13Cced (KY) Florent Geroux 116 Steven M. Asmussen 15/1 14 14Mom's On Strike (FL) Joseph Rocco, Jr. 116 Joe Sharp 15/1
