Black-Eyed Susan Stakes 2020: Miss Marissa Pulls Off Upset over Bonny South

Miss Marissa pulled off a major upset to win the 2020 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes over heavy favorite Bonny South at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore on Saturday.

Ridden by Daniel Centeno and trained by James Ryerson, Miss Marissa went off at 10-1 and remained near the front of the field from start to finish. Bonny South, the 4-5 favorite, made a late charge after spending much of the race in last, but she couldn't pass Miss Marissa for the win.

The top-four finishing order was as follows:

1. Miss Marissa (10-1): $22.50 (Win), $7.80 (Place), $4.80 (Show)

2. Bonny South (4-5): $2.80 (Place), $2.20 (Show)

3. Hopeful Growth (5-1): $3.20 (Show)

4. Mizzen Beau (8-1)

The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes was the biggest race on the Preakness Stakes undercard with a total purse of $250,000. The field featured many of the top three-year-old fillies in the sport.

Miss Marissa wasn't talked about much entering the race since there were four previous graded stakes race winners in the field, and she wasn't one of them.

Considering the fact that Miss Marissa was coming off back-to-back allowance wins, however, perhaps there should have been more hype surrounding her.

The bulk of the attention was being paid to Bonny South, and it was well-deserved. Entering Saturday's race, the Brad Cox-trained filly had finished second in an Alabama stakes race to Swiss Skydiver, who is part of the Preakness Stakes field.

Bonny South also previously won the Fair Grounds Oaks in March, making her the unquestioned horse to beat in the field.

As pointed out by Jeffrey Byrnes of Horse Racing Nation, however, a poor trip created by jockey Florent Geroux played a significant role in Bonny South's being unable to chase down Miss Marissa:

Bonny South spent far too much time at the back of the field, and while she showed off her world-class speed during the final stretch, it was simply too late to make up the necessary ground.

There was some excitement regarding Hopeful Growth as a potential contender in the race as well due to a win in the Monmouth Oaks, plus two other victories. She never seemed like a threat to win Saturday, but still came away with a third-place finish.

Mizzen Beau, who won her most recent race before the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes, ran up front with Miss Marissa for much of the race before fading to fourth.

The Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is traditionally held the day before the Preakness Stakes, but with the COVID-19 pandemic necessitating scheduling changes, it took center stage before the Preakness at Pimlico on Saturday.