'Rags' Seeks Redemption in Black-Eyed Susan

Chadds Ford Stable's GI Darley Alcibiades S. winner Dancing Rags (Union Rags)'s 2017 debut in the Apr. 9 GIII Adena Springs Beaumont S. was intended to be a set-up race for the May 6 GI Kentucky Oaks, but when the bay was a punchless sixth in the seven-furlong dash, trainer Graham Motion opted to wait two weeks and re-route her to Friday's GII Black-Eyed Susan S. at Pimlico. Motion reasoned that the filly, whose two wins as a juvenile came at distances of a mile or greater, may not have been sharp enough to handle the cutback in distance off a five-month layup.

“I was disappointed with the Beaumont, of course, and I was hoping she would run well,” Motion said. “If she did that, we were going to hopefully go to the Oaks with her. Obviously that didn't materialize and it's unfortunate.”

Dancing Rags will have the services of jockey Trevor McCarthy, who recently celebrated his 1,000th career victory, for the first time Friday. The bay tuned up for the Black-Eyed Susan with a bullet five-furlong drill in 1:01 flat at Fair Hill May 12.

Gary Barber's Summer Luck (Lookin At Lucky) is logically sitting on a big race in her second try around two turns. The Mark Casse trainee closed steadily in three stakes tries around one turn at Gulfstream Park this winter and was last seen reporting home a pace-compromised fifth in the GI Ashland S. at Keeneland Apr. 8. Casse and Barber also pair to send out Corporate Queen (Colonel John), owned in partnership with Bobby Flay.

Like Casse, trainer Todd Pletcher will send out two entrants in the Friday feature, including tepid 4-1 morning line favorite Moana (Uncle Mo), a second-out maiden winner going 1 1/16 miles at Keeneland Apr. 14. The dark bay has shown tactical speed in both races and appears to be well-drawn in post seven. Pletcher also will saddle Sumaya US Stable's Lights of Medina (Eskendereya), winner of Laurel's Apr. 22 Weber City Miss S.–the local prep and a “win and you're in” qualifier for the Black-Eyed Susan.

A pair of gray Tapit fillies, the maiden Actress and Tapa Tapa Tapa, both merit a look in what appears to be a wide-open affair. The former caught the eye with a strong rally to finish second after missing the break in her Mar. 19 Gulfstream debut and recently completed the exacta again behind the highly regarded My Miss Tapit (Tapit) in that venue's restricted Game Face S. Apr. 22. Meanwhile, Tapa Tapa Tapa has shown sharp early pace since adding blinkers ahead of her sophomore year. The Timothy Hamm trainee wired the field in Tampa Bay's Feb. 11 Suncoast S. and recently set a swift early pace before leveling off to check in fourth in the GIII Honeybee S. at Oaklawn Park Mar. 11. If Tapa Tapa Tapa is to have success Friday, she'll need to avoid a speed duel with rail-drawn local hopeful Shimmering Aspen (Malibu Moon), who makes her first start over a route of ground after winning her last three races by a combined 16 1/4 lengths.