Black Eyed Susan

Orb's path to the finish line in the second leg of the Triple Crown remains uncrowded. Normandy Invasion, the fourth-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby, dropped from contention for Saturday's 138th running of the Preakness on Sunday. Trainer Chad Brown and owner Rick Porter decided to stick with their original plan and point the horse toward prestigous races for 3-year-olds later in the summer. That leaves Orb, the colt co-owned by Baltimore County resident Stuart Janney III and Ogden Mills "Dinny" Pipps' stable, with only seven confirmed challengers at this point.

She had a cool name and a hot jockey, but Fiftyshadesofhay didn't look like she had much of a chance for most of Friday's 89th Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico Race Course . Riding the 3-year-old filly for the first time, Joel Rosario also gave the horse a new reputation for being able to win coming from behind. Running near the back of the six-horse back for most of the one and an eighth-mile race, the Bob Baffert-trained horse chased down Marathon Lady to win by a neck in 1:53.73.

She had a cool name and a hot jockey, but Fiftyshadesofhay didn't look like she had much of a chance for most of Friday's 89th Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico Race Course . Riding the 3-year-old filly for the first time, Joel Rosario also gave the horse a new reputation for being able to win coming from behind. Running near the back of the six-horse back for most of the one and an eighth-mile race, the Bob Baffert-trained horse chased down Marathon Lady to win by a neck in 1:53.73.

John Rzeznik, lead singer of the Goo Goo Dolls, should know a thing or two about wedding songs. He wrote the inescapable hit "Iris" in 1998, which plenty of newly married couples have played for their first dance, including, most famously, singer Avril Lavigne in 2006. And yet, for his own upcoming wedding in July, Rzeznik has no clue what song he and his fiance, Melina Gallo, will dance to. "I'm just happy that I'm getting married. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm still a guy," Rzeznik said from his Los Angeles home recently.

The top local entrant for Friday's 89th running of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico took one wrong step on Thursday and had to be scratched. Walkwithapurpose, a Maryland-bred owned by Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, was expected to be one of the top contenders in the $500,000 Grade II race run at a mile and one-eighth for 3-year-old-fillies. Thursday afternoon, however, the Sagamore Farm filly had to drop out of the race after bruising her foot earlier in the day during her final gallop on the track at Pimlico in preparation for Friday's race.

"Black-Eyed Susans! Get 'em here!" Emanuel Sabedra shouted inside the front gates, above the excited throngs and circling planes and buzzing engines of golf carts zipping by. Sabedra, dressed in maroon and gold jockey shirt, has been hawking the $9 cocktails at Preakness for 12 years. By 11 a.m., he had sold five racks of 24. Butch Hoppe, a 24-year-old trucking company owner, had his first taste of the Preakness staple. "It's alright," he said. "I got it for the souvenir cup more than the drink.

LONG AGO, I learned you can't fight tradition. Even though the Black-Eyed Susan is a cocktail that should be tossed down the drain, not down your gullet, some people will still want to drink it during Preakness Week. Or they think they will.They will try one Black-Eyed Susan out of some sense of regional pride. The Kentucky Derby has the mint julep as its official concoction. The Preakness, run this Saturday at Baltimore's Pimlico Race Course, has the Black-Eyed Susan. New York's Belmont run next month has the White Carnation.

A shot of vodka, a shot of whiskey, sweet-and-sour mix, a couple of ounces of orange juice, and a cherry and an orange slice to top it off. You must recognize it. The Black-eyed Susan has been the Preakness Stakes' official cocktail since time immemorial; at least since the '50s, estimates Pimlico historian Joe Kelly. The drink has not stayed stale. Its creators have reinvented it several over the years. The recipe above is the current mix: 3/4 oz. 42 Below Vodka, 11/4 -ounce Early Times Kentucky Whiskey, 3-oz.

Twelve days ago MI Developments Inc. revealed a $5.5 million bonus program for the Grade I Preakness at Pimlico Race Course. Tuesday, the company announced a similar, $2.2 million bonus for the Grade II Black-Eyed Susan stakes that has been traditionally run for fillies the Friday before the Preakness. To qualify for the $2.2 million bonus, $2 million of which goes to the owner and $200,000 to the trainer, a filly has to win three designated races at Gulfstream Park (the Forward Gal Stakes, the Davona Dale and the Oaks)

For the Rebounders, the 14th Black-Eyed Susan Invitational gymnastics meet this weekend at the Towson Center will be the equivalent of a high school football team playing host to its season opener at Memorial Stadium.At the Junior Olympics level, many regional meets are held in the host teams' practice gyms. "So competing at Towson Center is a much bigger feeling," said Rebounders meet director Vivian Manekin.The meet will mark the beginning of six months of competition for the Timonium-based Rebounders, whose members range in age from 8 to 17, and for many other local and regional teams.

The top local entrant for Friday's 89th running of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico took one wrong step on Thursday and had to be scratched. Walkwithapurpose, a Maryland-bred owned by Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, was expected to be one of the top contenders in the $500,000 Grade II race run at a mile and one-eighth for 3-year-old-fillies. Thursday afternoon, however, the Sagamore Farm filly had to drop out of the race after bruising her foot earlier in the day during her final gallop on the track at Pimlico in preparation for Friday's race.

On the third Saturday in May, generations of Baltimoreans marched onto the infield at Pimlico Race Course with their coolers in tow, an image that helped define the Preakness Stakes. No longer. The Maryland Jockey Club has unveiled enhanced security plans for the 138th Preakness Stakes in the wake of recent deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon. And coolers are among the casualties. Fans will be subject to electronic wand searches at all gates for the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes on May 17 and the Preakness on May 18. They will not be allowed to carry backpacks or duffel bags into the races and only smaller, see-through-plastic containers will be permitted.

DJ and producer Afrojack will open the main stage music lineup at this year's Preakness InfieldFest on May 18, the Maryland Jockey Club announced Friday. Two country singers, Rodney Atkins and Rachel Farley, will round out the Black-Eyed Susan concert on May 17. Rappers Pitbull and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis will headline this year's Preakess InfieldFest May 18 at Pimlico Race Course. And rockers the Goo Goo Dolls will headline the Black-Eyed Susan concert on Preakness Eve -- part of the People's Pink Party, a partnership between Pimlico and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

"Black-Eyed Susans! Get 'em here!" Emanuel Sabedra shouted inside the front gates, above the excited throngs and circling planes and buzzing engines of golf carts zipping by. Sabedra, dressed in maroon and gold jockey shirt, has been hawking the $9 cocktails at Preakness for 12 years. By 11 a.m., he had sold five racks of 24. Butch Hoppe, a 24-year-old trucking company owner, had his first taste of the Preakness staple. "It's alright," he said. "I got it for the souvenir cup more than the drink.

A beautiful day at Pimlico will allow Black-Eyed Susan Day to go on with seemingly no problems and a fast track. All 13 races will take place between noon and 5:51 p.m., capped with the Pimlico Special, which has been run just one time since 2007. Unbeaten but inexperienced Mamma Kimbo will enter the 88th running of the $300,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) as the favorite, trained under Bob Baffert, who will also saddle Preakness favorite Bodemeister on Saturday. Trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle both Disposablepleasure and In Lingerie.

The Preakness is, let's face it, the dark horse on the nation's party planning circuit. After all, the second leg of the Triple Crown is squeezed between its more challenging and prestigious cousins, the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes. And, it's held in proudly fashion-averse Baltimore. Nonetheless, there are a few pioneering socialites and trailblazing doyennes living in states such as Kentucky and Pennsylvania and New Jersey. For them, the Preakness' underdog status practically demands a celebration — and the more fancy hats and black-eyed Susan centerpieces the better.

The Band: Black-Eyed Susan Hometown: Baltimore Current Members: Aaron Levy, keyboards and vocals; Adam Chase, drums; Matt Chase, guitar and vocals; David Markowitz, bass and vocals. Founded in: 1997 Style: Jam-rock Influenced by: Steely Dan, Crosby, Stills & Nash and Santana Notable: This local quartet broke into the East Coast's jam band circuit two years ago and never looked back. Since then, they've toured extensively and even shared bills with major influences, including Santana.

The Preakness isn't the only big race at Pimlico Race Course this weekend.A heavy schedule of supporting stakes will be run, beginning today with the 68th edition of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.The $250,000 event carries a Grade II status and has attracted eight, included graded stakes winners Spinning Round and Preach.Spinning Round, owned by George Steinbrenner's Kinsman Stud, enters after finishing second to Prospectors Delight in the Grade I Ashland Stakes at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky., on April 18.Trainer James Baker decided to bypass the Grade I Kentucky Oaks to prepare for the Black-Eyed Susan, and his horse has been training here for nearly two weeks.

Trainer Bill Mott didn't have any doubts about the talent possessed by filly Royal Delta heading into Friday's 87th running of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes. But her inexperience and temperament gave him plenty of reason for concern. The Black-Eyed Susan was only the fourth start of her career, and it had already been a bit of an adventure. She was coming off a dominant win at the Keeneland Polytrack, but just two months ago she finished ninth in a 10-horse race at Tampa Downs. Was she a dirt horse?

A shot of vodka, a shot of whiskey, sweet-and-sour mix, a couple of ounces of orange juice, and a cherry and an orange slice to top it off. You must recognize it. The Black-eyed Susan has been the Preakness Stakes' official cocktail since time immemorial; at least since the '50s, estimates Pimlico historian Joe Kelly. The drink has not stayed stale. Its creators have reinvented it several over the years. The recipe above is the current mix: 3/4 oz. 42 Below Vodka, 11/4 -ounce Early Times Kentucky Whiskey, 3-oz.