Bonus program announced for Black-Eyed Susan Stakes

Horseracing Betting Lines

09/07/2010 - Baltimore, MD (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Following on the heels of the establishment of 'Preakness 5.5', MI Developments (MID) announced Tuesday the creation of a similar program for the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. The 1 1/8 mile race for three-year-old fillies is the sister event to the Preakness Stakes.

Called 'Black-Eyed Susan 2.2', the bonus program could award $2 million to the winning owner of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes and $200,000 to the victorious trainer. The winning filly must qualify by capturing a series of preliminary stakes.

"My hope is that 2011 will be remembered in the sports world as the founding year of a long, successful and profitable tradition of the Preakness 5.5 and the Black-Eyed Susan 2.2," said Dennis Mills, Vice Chairman and CEO of MI Developments Inc. "The Preakness weekend is an important generator of revenue for the Maryland Jockey Club and this program, combined with the Preakness 5.5, should improve racing results across our entire racing portfolio."

There will be an AmTote Jockey Bonus worth $50,000 to the winning jockey of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes who also rode the winner of one of the qualifying races and competed in at least one other qualifying race.

"We are delighted to expand our support of the Preakness 5.5 weekend to offer a similar prize for the Black-Eyed Susan 2.2," said Steve Keech, President of AmTote International Inc.

The tracks, all owned by MID, involved in the program are Gulfstream Park, Santa Anita Park, Golden Gate Fields and Portland Meadows.

At Gulfstream Park, a filly must win the Forward Gal Stakes on Saturday, January 29, 2011 plus win the Davona Dale on Saturday, February 26 and then win the Gulfstream Park Oaks on Saturday, April 2.

For Santa Anita Park runners, a horse must win the Las Virgenes on Saturday, February 5 plus win the Santa Anita Oaks on Saturday, March 5 and also win the Gulfstream Park Oaks.

The winner of Golden Gate Fields' California Oaks on New Year's Day can qualify for the bonus by going on to win the Santa Anita Oaks and Gulfstream Park Oaks.

Portland Meadows in Oregon will conduct the Portland Meadows Oaks on Saturday, January 29. The winner of that race will also qualify for the Black-Eyed Susan 2.2 if it goes on to win the Santa Anita Oaks and Gulfstream Park Oaks.

"The Portland Meadows Oaks will instantly become a significant event in the north-west racing scene as part of the Black Eyed Susan 2.2 bonus program," noted William Alempijevic, General Manager of Portland Meadows.

In addition, a consolation prize will also be offered sponsored by XpressBet, which has one for the Preakness Stakes called XpressBet .55. If the winner of the 2011 Black-Eyed Susan is not eligible for the $2.2 million bonus, the winning owner would get $200,000 and the winning trainer $20,000.

"Everyone wins," stated Ron Luniewski, President of XpressBet Inc. "The breadth of the eligibility of the consolation prize attracts the horsemen and trainers and this should result in larger fields which appeals to both our customers and race fans."

The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is customarily run the day prior to the Preakness Stakes, the middle jewel in racing's Triple Crown. The 87th Black-Eyed Susan Stakes will be run on Friday, May 20, 2011.

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Horse Betting

(This is an update of a sportsbook for the May 4th issue of ESPN The Magazine).

The Kentucky Derby's post-position draw happened on Wednesday. And, as is always the case, shortly afterwards, a buzz raced around Churchill Downs. It was a low rumble at first, nothing that the squares in the mint julep crowd pick up right away. But by the time the sun set over the twin spires, the chatter was impossible to ignore. Everyone -- sharps, trainers, owners -- was talking about one thing: the wise guy horse, the pre-draw long shot us mopes didn't have on our radar until it was too late.

"You think you're hearing the scoop," says handicapper Lane Gold. "Then you get to the window, the odds are short, and you missed it."

Recognizing a wise-guy horse early is as hard as picking a Derby bonnet. That's because handicappers don't like hype (see ya, I Want Revenge). They want Thoroughbreds who look good losing prep races like the Santa Anita Derby. They eye horses who ate up the field after starting wide or made an easy transition from synthetic tracks to dirt. They look for ponies who showed muscle gain race to race and those who ran hard after several weeks' rest.

"A wise guy," says John Avello, a bookmaker at Wynn Las Vegas, "looks for a horse who can improve."

When I first wrote Horse Betting for The Mag, which I turned in a three weeks before Wednesday's draw, I predicted these three horses had wise guy potential:

CHOCOLATE CANDY (15-1 in mid-April, currently 20-1 according to Avello): His second-place finish at Santa Anita, following a seven-week layoff, proved two things: He can run after resting, and -- by losing a high-profile prep race -- he wouldn't be overhyped.

DESERT PARTY (15-1; 15-1): He was upset in the UAE Derby by a horse he had beaten twice. The public remembers his loss, but the wise guys his wins.

PIONEEROF THE NILE (8-1; 4-1): The big favorite at Santa Anita struggled to win, so he initially got less hype than Quality Road and I Want Revenge.

You may have noticed that the odds on Pioneerof the Nile have been cut in half, from 8-1 to 4-1. Which means the wise guys took a shine to him long before the post-position draw. But, to be honest, this is one of those years with four elite horses getting everyone's attention, squares and sharps alike.

"You're not gonna get a lot of chatter about a horse that isn't in that group, which includes Pioneer, I Want Revenge, Dunkirk and Friesan Fire," Avello told me Wednesday. "We don't have a group of horses behind those top four who look like real legit contenders."

Come Derby week, the final two elements in picking a wise guy horse are how he's working out and what gate he's coming out of.

(By the way, picking a Preakness favorite is a whole different bale of hay, partially based on how horses finish in the Derby. You can see my analysis of who has the best shot at Pimlico on Insider Sunday morning.)

Well, early in the week I Want Revenge, Pioneerof the Nile and Friesan Fire were working out better than anyone. Some thought Friesan Fire, currently 6-1, might have run too fast, burning a five-furlong run in :57 4/5. "When you are running that fast you have the sense that it took something out of him," says Gold. "The Derby is longer than any horse has run, and if they need that extra surge you worry they won't have it because they burned it in the workout."

But, Gold points out, Friesan Fire's trainer is Larry Jones, Two years ago his horse Hard Spun did a five-eighths workout in :57 3/5 and then went on to finish second, behind Street Sense, in the Derby. "Every trainer has different methods," says Gold. "And clearly he knows what he's doing."

Now, as for starting position, Gold says to remember this: Churchill Downs traditionally has 14 starting gates. For the Derby, it brings out auxiliary gates and between the original 14th gate and the new 15th gate, there is a little more space than there is between gates 1-14. "That 15 position will give you a precious second or two to sort out what's happening to your inside," says Gold. "Sixteen is also okay because you can follow the horse in front of you."

Dunkirk, one of the race favorites, is coming out of gate 15. In 16 is Baffert's Pioneerof the Nile. I Want Revenge drew 13, where Smarty Jones won from in 2004, and Friesan Fire picked the sixth position. "He doesn't have a lot of speed to the inside of him," says Gold. "So he will get a clear shot to be near the front."

All the jibber-jabber means this: Pioneerof the Nile has leapfrogged from 8-1 to being the second favorite, along with Dunkirk, behind I Want Revenge. Meanwhile, Friesan Fire, with a good trainer, a strong week of training and a decent post position, is still at 6-1. "By Saturday, it's possible he could go from fourth to the favorite," says Gold.

In other words, meet Friesan Fire, your 2009 wise guy horse.

"Now," says Avello, "it's time for action."

To visit this horse betting site go to MySportsbook.com for all your horse racing betting needs.