George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is a Grade II Thoroughbred race for three-year-old fillies held at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland. The race is run on dirt over 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on a left-handed track, with a purse of $300,000 in 2024.
It began in 1919 as the Pimlico Oaks. The first winner, Milkmaid, went on to be United States Champion 3-Year-Old Filly. In 1952 the race was renamed the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes to honor Maryland’s state flower, and it gained graded status in 1973. Many winners have become champions; notable names include Royal Delta, Serena’s Song, Davona Dale, Nellie Morse and others. Davona Dale is the only filly to win the Black-Eyed Susan along with the Kentucky Oaks, Acorn, Mother Goose, and Coaching Club American Oaks. Nellie Morse is the only Black-Eyed Susan winner to also win the Preakness Stakes.
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the race was run on the Preakness undercard after the Preakness was moved to October, and it was renamed to honor the late George E. Mitchell. The 2024 race marked its 100th running. Today the George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes is considered a sister event to the Triple Crown races for fillies, alongside the Kentucky Oaks and the Acorn Stakes. There has been discussion about a separate “Triple Tiara” series, but the main idea remains the Kentucky Oaks, Black-Eyed Susan, and Mother Goose as the key filly-focused races.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 13:45 (CET).