Baroness Thatcher, Sugar Shake highlight Pimlico's Friday card

Baroness Thatcher will try to get back to her winning ways in the Black-Eyed Susan (Benoit Photo)

Santa Ysabel S. (G3) winner BARONESS THATCHER (Johannesburg) heads a field of

eight in Friday's $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan S. (G2), the traditional Preakness

S. (G1) eve feature. Pimlico officials have five total stakes carded for Friday,

including the $200,000 Allaire DuPont Breeders' Cup Distaff H. (G2) and $125,000

Miss Preakness S. (G3).

Baroness Thatcher began her career with trainer Dale Romans, but was

transferred to conditioner Patrick Biancone prior to the start of her sophomore

season. She rewarded that decision with a half-length score in the Santa Ysabel

and then was second in the Las Virgenes S. (G1) to eventual Kentucky Oaks (G1)

titan Rags to Riches (A.P. Indy). She ran into that rival again when fourth in the

Santa Anita Oaks (G1), and finished fifth after racing seven wide in Keeneland's

Beaumont S. (G2) on the Polytrack. Baroness Thatcher skipped the Oaks in favor

of this one and will have to tote the top weight of 120 pounds under Garrett

Gomez.

Among her rivals in the Black-Eyed Susan are WINNING POINT (Point Given) and

PANTY RAID (Include). The former miss suffered her first career loss when second

by 1 1/2 lengths in the Comely S. (G2) at Aqueduct in April. She'll try to

return to the winner's circle here under a 116-pound impost that includes Luis

Garcia. Panty Raid just missed by a head in Turfway Park's Bourbonette Breeders'

Cup S. (G3) two back and most recently captured an allowance at Keeneland.

She'll be returning to the dirt in this spot with Edgar Prado retaining the

mount.

Sugar Shake will attempt to continue her domination while making her first start at Pimlico (Benoit Photo)

One race earlier, SUGAR SHAKE (Awesome Again) will try for her fourth

straight victory while taking on 11 opponents in the Allaire DuPont. The Bobby

Frankel-trained four-year-old ended 2006 with an easy victory against allowance

company at Churchill Downs. She made a winning return in January, taking the El

Encino S. (G2) at Santa Anita and followed that up with a front-running, 1

3/4-length score in the Santa Maria H. (G1) in mid-February last out. David

Flores, aboard for both of those wins, will be in the saddle on Friday.

The 1 1/16-mile Allaire DuPont has also attracted FIERY PURSUIT

(Carson City), who was seen just two weeks ago taking the Louisville

Breeders' Cup S. (G2), and KETTLEONEUP (Victory Gallop), victress of the

Sixty Sails H. (G3) in late April.

TAKE A CHECK (Touch Gold) will lead the post parade under 118 pounds,

including Garcia. She'll be followed by Sugar Shake, 124; AMANDATUDE

(Aptitude), Marquez, 118; LEAH'S SECRET (Tiger Ridge), Guidry, 120; SWAP

FLIPAROO (Exchange Rate), Prado, 122; LEXI STAR (Crypto Star), Ryan

Fogelsonger, 120; GASIA (Silver Deputy), Mario Pino, 124; Fiery Pursuit,

Guidry, 124; Kettleoneup, Calvin Borel, 124; PEAK MARIA'S WAY (Pyramid

Peak), no rider, 118; ROLLING SEA (Sefapiano), Gomez, 118; and PROMENADE

GIRL (Carson City), Jeremy Rose, 124.