DALE Romans earned a second in the Preakness with longshot Cherry Wine. A day earlier, Romans earned a win in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan with Go Maggie Go.

Making her fourth career start, the daughter of Ghostzapper led, stalked and pounced to win the $250,000 stakes by two and a half lengths over 50-1 shot Ma Can Do It.

Owned by Mike Tarp, Go Maggie Go finished fourth in the Kentucky Oaks two weeks before the Black-Eyed Susan. Romans said it was all part of the plan.

“My whole plan was to get through the Oaks to get to here,” he said. “Even if she won, I was going to come here. She’s a different type of filly. She’s big and strong, she’d only run three times going into the Oaks and I think she’ll be better suited to a fall campaign if we get some more races in her, get some more foundation on her.”

Romans offered a detour from today’s trainers who put away their stars after a stakes win.

“She’s old-school,” he said. “A big, rugged thing and loves to train and loves to run and has no problems. I didn’t see a reason to keep her in the barn. It helps her learn everything, gets her mind right and helps her run the kind of races she can run.”

Nyquist fever

Nyquist will miss the Belmont Stakes on June 11th due to an elevated white blood-cell count and a fever, according to a statement from trainer Doug O’Neill. The colt will be treated with antibiotics and return to his base in California, after tasting defeat for the first time in the Preakness Stakes.