Southern Image Wins the Pimlico Special (Gr. I)
by Emily Hufford

There were many reasons to knock Southern Image going in to the Pimlico Special on Friday afternoon. For one thing, the colt had never run outside of California, and only once outside of Santa Anita. Known to be a handful and after fighting an injury that kept him on the shelf from March to August and then December of 2003, there were many excuses to not face up to the likes of Evening Attire, Dynever, and Midway Road.

And yet Southern Image proved that he's not just a good horse… he's very, very special.

The tall dark bay colt, who is so dark he can appear black at times, not only won the Pimlico Special (gr. I), but did it in extremely impressive fashion. Throughout the running of the race, jockey Victor Espinoza had a strangle hold on the colt, laying second off of the pacesetter. When it was time to pounce, Southern Image pounced, and managed to hold off a gritty Midway Road along the rail all the way to the wire.

The colt is owned by a huge entourage of devoted men and women, who cheered jubilantly and hugged each other, jumping about and screaming when he crossed the wire and came back to the winner's circle. Espinoza gave thumbs up to the connections as Southern Image circled after the race and photographers lined up to capture this special moment.

Why is Southern Image so special? This race is his third grade I win of the season, following the Malibu Stakes (7 furlongs) at Santa Anita on December 26, and the Santa Anita Handicap (1 1/4 miles) at Santa Anita in early March. In between those two races, he won the $1 million Sunshine Millions Classic, at 1 1/8 miles. In fact, the only race Southern Image has ever lost was last year, when he finished third to Kafwain in the San Vicente Stakes along the Kentucky Derby trail, where he was injured.

Mike Machowsky trains the Florida-bred son of Halo's Image. Originally, Machowsky had planned on running him in the Metropolitan Mile (gr. I) at the end of the month, but as the colt reared and plunged around the barn area this week at Pimlico, Machowsky knowingly smiled and said, "I just couldn't wait anymore."

Southern Image's Saddling Sign Seemed to Touch the Sky

Southern Image Before Being Saddled

The connections with Southern Image

Yearly Report Takes the Black Eyed Susan Stakes (Gr. II)
by Emily Hufford

Golden Eagle Farms' Yearly Report won the Grade 2 Black Eyed Susan Stakes, the traditional filly counterpart to the Preakness Stakes, on Friday afternoon at Pimlico Racecourse in Baltimore, Maryland. The three-year-old dark bay daughter of General Meeting, out of the Half a Year mare Fiscal Year, recorded her fourth win in five lifetime starts.

Bob Baffert trains the filly, who was ridden by Jerry Bailey. Baffert also won the 1999 Black Eyed Susan with Silverbulletday.

Yearly Report in the Post Parade

Yearly Report After her Victory

Yearly Report Wins the Black Eyed Susan Stakes (gr. II)

The connections of Yearly Report

Undercard Races: Two more highlights to the undercard included a win by Forest Music, a top two year old filly of last year, in the Miss Preakness Stakes, and a course record setting performance by the allowance horse Nortouch, who was running in a five furlong race on the turf and stopped the clock in :56.06.

Forest Music Heads to the Winners Circle

Nortouch Sets a New Course Record

Turf Angels.com Reporter Emily Hufford Asleep on the Job