Get ready for Black Eyed Susan Day at Laurel Park with our complete full card race-by-race analysis and picks from Daily Racing Form’s lead handicapper at Laurel Park, Patrick Moquin. Featuring expert preview of the Black Eyed Susan Stakes (Race 13) and his best bet of the day — Tartabull in Race 14 — with expert Laurel track insights.
Also, view FREE DRF Past Performances for today’s Race of the Day.
Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (Race 13)
1. Jumping the Gun
2. My Miss Mo
3. Braken Poppa
JUMPING THE GUN was expected to dust herself off and win the Weber City Miss off a long winter break, and she was confidently handled wide; it all proved to be too much, as she simply and understandably came up empty and had to settle for third; a Grade 2 runner-up as a juvenile, she has always been a bright talent flying under the radar in the Mid-Atlantic, earning all of her career wins at Delaware; the last race likely sharpened her a bit, which could make this a chance to finally break out at a price. MY MISS MO is the class of this field coming off back-to-back runner-up finishes in Grade 2 company at Gulfstream, where she improved to earn an 85 Beyer in her most recent defeat; this field isn’t quite as strong as the ones she was facing down in Florida, but she still needs to prove herself outside her home state; this far outside post will keep Gaffalione busy from the start. BRAKEN POPPA has won four straight races in statebred company down at Fair Grounds, taking a similar path to Margie’s Intention, who won this race last year for Brad Cox; this Asmussen trainee has been crushing her fellow Louisiana-breds and has earned matching 80 Beyers in her two stakes victories; scrapping early to earn a victory in February inspires hope as she steps up.
BEST BET: Tartabull (14th race)
Fourteenth Race
1. Tartabull
2. Street Party
3. Close the Gate
TARTABULL, a royal in these parts as a son of Anna’s Bandit, will return to Laurel after earning his maiden victory at the track last year; since his defeat in a restricted stakes here in December, he made his 3-year-old debut at Aqueduct before switching to synthetic for a stakes at Turfway; he ran valiantly in both races and seems to have improved with natural maturation, making this an opportune time to return home; his sibling, the juvenile filly Costa Linda, who won her debut in smashing fashion earlier this month. STREET PARTY ran a huge race to break his maiden at Keeneland last time out, earning a 78 Beyer in a $50,000 maiden claimer; he was picked up by Pino, who brought him back to Parx while waiting for the right spot; the trainer is exceptional off the claim and seems to have found a live one here. CLOSE THE GATE tried to sneak into the Preakness through the Tesio last time out but came up empty; Salzman will sensibly cut him back in distance and keep him home for another try at Laurel.
Here are Patrick’s thoughts on the other twelve races on Friday’s Laurel Park card.
First Race
1. Hit Zero
2. Bold Fact
3. Mister Monday Nite
HIT ZERO is a tough firster to deny for Russell, despite the fact that he has arguably shown a little more on turf in the morning to this point; sire Twirling Candy strikes with 15% of debuting runners, while the dam has produced two to reach the track, both winners on dirt; Maryland-bred gets to waive the claim. BOLD FACT will also go out for Russell after making the first two starts of his career at Gulfstream for Pletcher; he didn’t show much in either start and will now cut back to six furlongs as first-time gelding for a $35,000 tag; the warning signs are there, but Irad Ortiz and Repole certainly sweeten the deal; in the last five years, Russell and the owner are 6-for-14 with maiden claimers at Laurel (43%, $1.71 ROI). MISTER MONDAY NITE will make his debut for Ness and has shown flashes in the morning to suggest he’s ready; sire Enticed wins with 13% of his older firsters, while the dam has produced two debut winners from five starters; the trainer picked a classy day to make this try.
Second Race
1. Big Tankness
2. Kohoutek
3. Built by Khozan
BIG TANKNESS switched to turf last time out and looked just as strong as he did on dirt in March, vying for the early lead and grinding it out to win a restricted allowance with an 81 Beyer; he’s breaking from the far outside post, but that should give him options in a sprint; it’s possible that he can find a little more after gaining experience on the grass. KOHOUTEK returned from his winter break last month and got right back to business under Ruiz, rallying from a stalking position to win by a neck; he’s now 3-for-3 with the jockey aboard, and White is keeping him in the saddle for this well-deserved step up in class; the going might get tougher, but he has tactical speed and should stay involved. BUILT BY KHOZAN is a potential pacesetter in this field after coming up just short at this level last month, finishing second by a half-length with a 76 Beyer; he rated that day, but he was the early leader in his four prior starts on dirt, so Hazlewood might not waste much time in this second attempt.
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Third Race
1. Statesman
2. Lonesome Road
3. Derbyness
STATESMAN earned some really sharp Beyers in three Gulfstream allowances, but that was only good enough for third in all three races; one could argue he might have been able to do a little more in the last one I March if he had not been forced to steady and gather himself for another run; McGaughey has kept the colt in classy company for most of his career, but this seems like a workable spot to return off a short break; the pace scenario might be ideal for him. LONESOME ROAD might not get things his way on the front end, as several rivals seem likely to challenge him for the early lead; still, it’s hard to argue that this gelding did not have the look of a future stakes winner when he dusted an allowance field by 6 1/4 lengths in January; he faded in a disappointing effort at Colonial and has not run since, but he will return at his home track and could easily bounce back. DERBYNESS will have to improve to handle the top pair, but the gelding could not have looked much better when he won an allowance by 6 1/4 lengths last time out; Russell has trained him to three victories in his last four starts.
Fourth Race
1. Barzini
2. Noah Chance
3. Hunter Joe
BARZINI will be a daunting presence in this field if he fires fresh in his 6-year-old debut, even if he has lost a step over the winter; the Trombetta trainee only ran on turf three times last year, but his lone performance at Laurel was arguably the race of his life, a late-flying allowance victory where he earned a 91 Beyer; he didn’t fire particularly fresh off the layoff at Pimlico last year, but this has been a longer rest and he’s training up to it well. NOAH CHANCE returned for a $20,000 tag last month and ran another solid race for Robb, finishing second with a 72 Beyer; the hard-trying gelding has always appreciated the Laurel surface, even if he has only won one race with four runner-up finishes in six starts; not much changing here, but he could be a little sharper in his second start back. HUNTER JOE was an erratic type last year and will cut back to 5 1/2 furlongs in his 8-year-old debut; he ran at long odds for most of his 2025 campaign, suffering the punishment of advancing to an allowance level where he could no longer win; Smith seems to have found a more suitable spot for his return.
Fifth Race
1. Golf Cart Ryder
2. Red Sea
3. Se Thar Barr
GOLF CART RYDER is admittedly a speculative top pick, but it’s hard to dismiss the gelding after his first two starts were both rained off the turf last summer; he has not raced since and might finally get a chance on the grass in maiden-claiming company, though he and several other contenders will waive the tag; Trombetta is picking this spot with clear intention; it’s time to find out if he has the goods on this surface. RED SEA tried his first turf sprint at Saratoga for Anthony Dutrow last August, finishing fourth in a $50,000 maiden claimer with a 58 Beyer; he has not run since and will now return for Allen; the trainer doesn’t excel with long breaks like this, but the 4-year-old might be sitting on an improved effort. SE THAR BARR cut back to a sprint distance in his 2026 debut and ran well from the back, rallying for third with a 62 Beyer; that’s on par with his better efforts going longer last year, and Cooney is clearly looking for more in another sprint this time.
Sixth Race
1. Sota Summers
2. Gum
3. American Tapit
SOTA SUMMERS has not run since last May, when she made her lone start for Chad Brown and finished fifth in a maiden special weight at Aqueduct; she has been based at Fair Hill all spring and will make her overdue for second start for Russell in Maryland; Irad Ortiz Jr. will take the mount, an intriguing addition, and there’s more than enough to suggest the trainer can get more out of her as a 4-year-old. GUM has become a solid runner for Motion in four starts last year, though he could not find a spot for her to break through for a maiden victory; maybe Laurel is the spot, as Prat will take the mount off the layoff in a more comfortable field; it wouldn’t be a surprise. AMERICAN TAPIT has (somehow) only managed to run on turf once in her six-race career; when he was still with Correas, she ran on the grass at Colonial in her second start and missed by a nose with a 56 Beyer; De Paz tried her on synthetic at Turfway this winter and got solid results in defeat; the 3-year-old is likely a much stronger turf runner now.
Seventh Race
1. King Size
2. McCullough
3. Light Mood
KING SIZE is an undeniable contender getting some class relief after trying a tough $100,000 stakes at Laurel last time out, where he finished seventh with an 87 Beyer; the colt’s best performance remains his allowance score on the synthetic at Turfway in March, but there’s little to knock about his turf form to this point, between a maiden win and solid stakes try; his versatile speed is another asset that should help Jose Ortiz get him across the line. MCCULLOUGH returned in 2026 to try a dirt marathon at Colonial, but that went sideways for the perennial turf runner; an effort on synthetic in December also proved relatively fruitless, so Russell decided to wait and bring him back on the turf this spring; his lone effort at Laurel last year was among his best race, a game runner-up finish in a classier spot with an 89 Beyer. LIGHT MOOD needs to build on his only North American start, when he won a Delaware allowance last year with a 74 Beyer; Irad Ortiz will stay aboard, however, and Motion sometimes gets more out of these European shippers with some time over the winter; he’s a strong improvement candidate.
Eighth Race
1. Little Miss Curlin
2. Tessellate
3. Lights Out Leni
LITTLE MISS CURLIN proved herself at Oaklawn last month when she kicked clear to win a highly competitive allowance by 2 3/4 lengths with an 81 Beyer; the runner-up that day came back to win a restricted stakes next time out; no narrative about her Louisiana-bred status here, as the filly looked strong in those statebred stakes and has carried that form into open company; now with Asmussen, she will ship to Maryland as a strong contender. TESSELLATE is one of two Joseph trainees in this field, but this is the stakes winner of the pair, having picked up three such victories in Florida since November; Irad Ortiz hopped aboard for a statebred stakes score last time out and will ride her again here; maybe she needs to improve a tad, but she’s firmly in the mix. LIGHTS OUT LENI is an exciting debut maiden winner taking a big step up for Summers; the connections are still clearly figuring her out, but she showed a ton of potential on the front end in that maiden score at Aqueduct, for which she earned an 83 Beyer; this will obviously be a test, but she might just be up to it.
Ninth Race
1. Ultimate Love
2. Coach Mazzula
3. Siouxse
ULTIMATE LOVE is an obvious standout making her 3-year-old debut for Trombetta; the filly was spectacular in the Mid-Atlantic last year, most notably crushing a field at Laurel in a $100,000 stakes in September; her form in these parts was so strong that she earned favoritism at the Breeders’ Cup, where she ran gamely for fifth in a tough race; the trainer has been choosing her return spot carefully. COACH MAZZULA is not as classy as the top pick, but the filly has been progressing nicely for Russell and could be ready for this test; she ran well at Fair Grounds over the winter, always an encouraging sign for these connections, and came back to win an allowance at Laurel in April with a career-best 79 Beyer; trending in the right direction. SIOUXSE wrapped up her juvenile campaign with a solid maiden win for Motion, who could get more out of her in her first start against winners off the break; Prat is an excellent addition, and she finished ahead of the second pick in this field when she ran at Laurel in October.
Tenth Race
1. Margie’s Intention
2. Queen Azteca
3. Complexity Jane
MARGIE’S INTENTION won when she shipped to Maryland for the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan last year, and though she has not won since, she finished her 3-year-old campaign in extremely tough company and held her own in those fields; Cox brought her back at a shorter route distance and she couldn’t get past an old Louisiana-bred rival, but she will stretch back out this time and should be able to get back on track with a familiar trip. QUEEN AZTECA has been a different horse with blinkers on in her last two starts; it seems like her focus has improved in two front-running efforts and she looked especially strong winning an allowance by a length with an 86 Beyer at Keeneland last time out; she’s still looking for her first stakes win in the United States, but she looks more prepared to make it happen now. COMPLEXITY JANE has not yet won as a 4-year-old after racking up three stakes wins last year; that being said, the Beyers are still improving, as she earned an 80 Beyer finishing second in a $100,000 stakes; home-track advantage is a big story this week, but that may not apply to any runner more than this one.
Eleventh Race
1. Saturday Flirt
2. Lost and Found
3. Les Reys
SATURDAY FLIRT stepped up to a Grade 2 off a long layoff last time out and didn’t factor, taking nothing away from three improving victories last year; in fact, it was a sign of confidence that Ward was even considering that race at Keeneland off the break; Irad Ortiz Jr. stays aboard and this isn’t a significant drop in her second start back; she should be dangerous. LOST AND FOUND switched to synthetic back in February and improved in two straight starts for Walden; she will now switch back to turf for new trainer Russell, having handled the surface well in some tough locales last year; she’s in the best form of her life and will likely be prepared well for this stakes debut. LES REYS wrapped up her 2025 season with a dud in a Grade 3 at Woodbine, but her form before that was exceptional on both turf and synthetic and she should have a say in this return; she has fired fresh off long breaks in the past and Clement seldom wastes too much time early in the year; this has likely been a potential target for some time.
Twelfth Race
1. Navajo Warrior
2. Maclean’s Rook
3. Yo Daddy
NAVAJO WARRIOR might be making his stakes debut, but the gelding sure looks like a standout coming off a monster effort in a Gulfstream allowance last time out; Joseph got him last summer and has since guided him to four victories in six starts, culminating in the 99 Beyer he earned last time out; he’s as ready as he’ll ever be. MACLEAN’S ROOK looked like a future stakes winner when he dusted a pair of allowance fields late last year, but he needed some time to reset after a hard-fought third behind Quint’s Brew and Blue Kingdom in the Jennings; he bounced back to win an allowance at Colonial in March, at which point Trombetta gave him a short rest; this could be a promising return to stakes company. YO DADDY is an obvious contender coming off a win in the $150,000 Excelsior at Aqueduct last time out; he has not run outside New York in a long time, but Rice typically knows when to take this trip to Maryland; he’s arguably in the best form of his career.
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