Braken Poppa gets class test in Black-Eyed Susan
Winner of four straight faces toughest test to date
Press Release
May 11, 2026
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.
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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. ET. Post time for the Black-Eyed Susan, carded as Race 13, is scheduled for 6:14 p.m. ET.
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.”
Braken Poppa graduated in her sophomore season opener Jan. 4 and followed up 26 days later with a 1 ¾-length optional allowance claiming victory that earned her a shot against stakes competition. She romped by 9 ½ lengths in the Feb. 28 Charged Cotton and went gate to wire to win by 5 ½ in the March 21 Crescent City Oaks, her most recent start.
“She’s earned her way there,” Reimer said. “After she won the allowance race we were like, ‘OK, this is something.’ Then she wins two back-to-back stakes races and it’s like, ‘OK, that’s awesome.’ The target was the Black-Eyed Susan, so here we are.”
Her most recent win was also Bracken Poppa’s first attempt around two turns, which she’ll try to successfully navigate again in the Black-Eyed Susan, a race Asmussen – racing’s all-time leader with more than 11,000 career victories – has never won.
“I’ll tell you what, after the mile and 70 yards she was still going so I’m not worried about that. That little bit of extra distance is not going to hurt her at all. She’s coming in very fresh,” Reimer said. “We’re very, very optimistic about her.”
In all but her most recent effort, Braken Poppa has come from just off the pace in each of her wins. Jose Ortiz is named to ride from Post 5 in a field of 10.
“She’s shown a little versatility in her races,” Reimer said. “She likes to be near the front, though. I’m excited. I’m excited about this race.”
Also entered are last-out stakes winner Holly’s Holiday, stakes winner Haute Diva, 2-for-3 Majestic Lucia, and multiple graded stakes-placed My Miss Mo.
The field also includes four runners from the Weber City Miss Stakes, the final local Black-Eyed Susan prep: winner Ivy Girl, plus A. P.’s Girl, Miss Fulton Gal, and Jumping the Gun.
BLACK-EYED SUSAN STAKES ENTRIES
| Post | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | Owner |
| 1 | Miss Fulton Gal | Velazquez J R | Gorham Michael E | Trott Racing Stable, Five Sisters Farm and John Polizos |
| 2 | Ivy Girl | Carrasco V R | Green Amelia J | Lucky Hat Racing LLC |
| 3 | Holly’s Holiday | Prat F | McPeek Kenneth G | 4 G Racing LLC, Gregg Day, Steven Crain & Holly Crain |
| 4 | Savor It | Sanchez M J | St Lewis Uriah | Trin-Brook Stables, Inc. |
| 5 | Braken Poppa | Ortiz J L | Asmussen Steven M | Ken T. Reimer, Bradley D Kent and Madaket Stables LLC |
| 6 | Haute Diva | Asmussen K J | Biancone Patrick L | JSM Equine LLC |
| 7 | Jumping the Gun | Saez L | Simoff Andrew | Imaginary Stables |
| 8 | Majestic Lucia | Alvarado J | Barboza Victor Jr | Elena Racing Stable and Carga, Inc. |
| 9 | A. P.’s Girl | Ortiz I Jr | Eurton Peter | C R K Stable LLC |
| 10 | My Miss Mo | Gaffalione T | Joseph Saffie A Jr | Averill Racing, LLC, Mathis Stable, LLC and Tristan De Meric |
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