Keen Pauline goes all the way to win Black-Eyed Susan Stakes

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Baltimore, MD (SportsNetwork.com) - Keen Pauline, ridden by Javier Castellano, set the pace and drove through the stretch to capture Friday's $250,000 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 140th Preakness Stakes.

Trained by Dale Romans for Stonestreet Stables, Keen Pauline was sent off as a 15-1 longshot in the field of nine 3-year-old fillies. The chestnut filly, making her stakes debut, broke from the far outside post and had the lead as the field went under the wire for the first time.

Keen Pauline held the lead as the field went up the backstretch while 13-10 favorite Luminance settled off the pace in fifth.

Coming off the final turn the field was spread across the track, but Keen Pauline kept her place on the lead and proceeded to run away from the competition.

"I didn't expect to be on the lead," Castellano said. "I saw a lot of speed in the race. I thought that Martin Garcia on (Luminance) had the speed and was going to dictate the pace. He broke OK and didn't send his horse to the lead. My horse broke so well out of the gate I dictated the pace and I enjoyed the ride."

Keen Pauline won by 2 3/4 lengths over Include Betty with Ahh Chocolate third and Danessa Deluxe fourth. Luminance was fifth followed by Pure, Sweetgrass, Gypsy Judy and Devine Aida.

The time for the Black-Eyed Susan was 1:50.46 on a fast track.

Keen Pauline gave her jockey Javier Castellano his second straight Black-Eyed Susan victory. He rode Stopchargingmaria, winner of Friday's DuPont Distaff Stakes, in 2014's renewal.

This year's win was worth $150,000 to boost Keen Pauline's bankroll to $180,932 with two wins in six starts.

"Dale took his time with her in Florida," said Tammy Fox, assistant to Dale Romans. "She had a couple of months off. She came back for the Keeneland race and it set her up perfect for this race here. Yesterday, when I galloped her over this surface, she loved it. She loved everything about it."

Keen Pauline returned $32.80, $10.80 and $5.80. Include Betty paid $5.40 and $3.40, and Ahh Chocolate paid $4.40 to show.