BALTIMORE – Margie's Intention splashed her way to victory in the Black-Eyed Susan.
Shortly after a substantial storm soaked the track at Pimlico, she overtook Paris Lily on the outside toward the end of the 1 1/8-mile race for 3-year-old fillies, winning by three-quarters of a length Friday. It was Margie Intenton's fifth straight race finishing in the top two, a streak that began when she won by nearly a dozen lengths in January at the Fair Grounds.
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That race, like this one, was in sloppy conditions.
“We haven't had her that long, but she performed well on an off track this winter,” trainer Brad Cox said. “I thought she moved forward today. It was a demanding race. She was under a ride turning for home and she finished the race off.”
The storm darkened the sky above the track and delayed the Black-Eyed Susan for over an hour. The one remaining race after it was canceled.
With jockey Flavien Prat on board, Margie's Intention was the 5-2 favorite at race time. Runnin N Gunnin, the morning line favorite, had fallen all the way to 10-1 by the time she left the gate. Sure enough, she was no factor, finishing last in the nine-horse field.
Paris Lily, who had won on a sloppy track in her previous start, began impressively and was in front in the second turn. She was eventually overtaken by Margie’s Intention on the outside.
“She ran great on a nice, easy lead,” said Joel Rosario, Paris Lily's jockey. “The trainer told me to go forward with her so I did and got her in front. ... She kicked for home but the outside horse was too much at the end.”
Kinzie Queen was third.
This was the first stakes victory for Margie's Intention after she finished second in the Flashy Prize and the Crescent City Oaks in March. She was trained then by Brendan P. Walsh, and she was sold after the Crescent City Oaks — her most recent race before this one.
“We'd seen her at the 2-year-old sale. We'd looked at her then,” said Elliott Walden, president and CEO of co-owner WinStar Farm. “It made sense to us. We bought her privately, then turned her over to Brad. Brendan had done a great job with her. We have plenty of horses with Brad, and that was the only reason for the change.”
Margie's Intention paid $7, $4 and $3.20 on Friday, finishing in 1 minute, 52.05 seconds. The $1 exacta paid $21.30, and a $1 trifecta paid $115.40.
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AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing