Braken Poppa Puts Streak to Test in Black-Eyed Susan (G2)
At 1h21, on May 15, 2026 • By Laurel Park, Preakness
Bradley Kent and Ken Reimer’s standout Louisiana-bred filly Braken Poppa will put her four-race win streak on the line when she chases a third straight stakes win while facing open company for the first time in the $300,000 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan (G2) Friday, May 15 at Laurel Park.
The 102nd running of the 1 1/8-mile event for 3-year-old fillies headlines a spectacular 14-race program that includes six stakes, three graded, worth $1.05 million in purses and serves as a fitting prelude to Saturday’s 151st Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.
Other graded stakes on the Black-Eyed Susan program are the historic $250,000 Pimlico Special (G3) for 3-year-olds and up at the Preakness distance of 1 3/16 miles and $150,000 Miss Preakness (G3) for 3-year-old fillies sprinting six furlongs.
Rounding out the stakes action are the listed $125,000 Allaire du Pont Distaff for fillies and mares 3 and up going 1 1/8 miles and a pair of listed events scheduled for the turf – the $125,000 Hilltop for 3-year-old fillies at one mile and $100,000 The Very One, a five-furlong dash for females 3 and older.
First-race post time Friday is 11:30 a.m. Post time for the Black-Eyed Susan, carded as Race 13, is scheduled for 6:14 p.m.
Braken Poppa is a daughter of Grade 2-placed Aurelius Maximus that fetched $80,000 at the Texas Thoroughbred Association’s 2024 yearling sale and found her way to Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, who also campaigned the sire.
The Black-Eyed Susan will be the first time racing anywhere other than Fair Grounds, where she ran second as the favorite in her debut last November sprinting six furlongs. She hasn’t lost since, stringing together four wins by 19 ¾ combined lengths – all over state-breds – at distances from one mile to a mile and 70 yards.
“She’s a beauty. You hope they’re all going to be that good,” Reimer said. “She likes to go to the lead, and she runs fast. She’s a handful, though. She’s an absolute handful. She always gets a little fractious and all the morning riders say she’s tough to ride, but she likes to go and she’s got a lot of heart. I love that horse.”
Flavien Prat gets the riding assignment from Post 3.
