Todd Pletcher will try to win his record fifth Black Eyed Susan when he sends out Always Shopping and Off Topic to the starting gate at Pimlico Race Course on Friday. With a victory in the 2019 Black Eyed Susan, Pletcher would break a tie with his mentor, D. Wayne Lukas. Always Shopping and Off Topic last raced in the Gazelle at Aqueduct on April 6, a race the former won, while Off Topic finished third. Always Shopping (4-1) is the third biggest favorite in the 2019 Black Eyed Susan odds behind Point of Honor (5-2) and Cookie Dough (3-1), while Off Topic is going off at 8-1. Post time for the 1 1/8-mile 2019 Black-Eyed Susan is 4:48 p.m. ET. With five of the nine 2019 Black Eyed Susan horses listed at 8-1 or better, you'll want to hear what SportsLine's Jody Demling has to say. He'll help you enter the top 2019 Black Eyed Susan picks.

A fixture in the horse racing world who has been writing about, talking about and betting on races for years, Demling is on an impressive handicapping run. He hit the exacta, trifecta and superfecta in the Dixiana Elkhorn Stakes on April 20, winning $408 on a $38 investment. That came one week after nailing the exacta, trifecta and superfecta in the Arkansas Derby. And on April 6, he nailed the exacta and trifecta in the Santa Anita Derby, Blue Grass Stakes and Wood Memorial. 

Those picks continued Demling's astonishing start to 2019 in which he also nailed the superfecta at the prestigious Pegasus World Cup -- a $678 payout on a $1 bet -- and at the Robert B. Lewis Stakes. Plus, he's hit nine of the last 14 winners of the big Saturday race at Pimlico and nailed nine of the last 11 Derby-Oaks doubles, meaning he's held a ticket with the winners of the Kentucky Oaks and Derby all but twice in the last 11 years. Anyone who has followed him is WAY UP. 

Now, Demling has analyzed the entire 2019 Black Eyed Susan field and released where he believes every horse will finish. He is sharing his picks only at SportsLine.

We can tell you that Demling wants no part of Brill, a top 2019 Black Eyed Susan favorite at 5-1. In fact, he says Brill doesn't even crack the top five. This filly, who was purchased for $1 million, was smashing in her debut race in July, earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 88, which is stellar for a two-year-old. However, that race was five furlongs and around just one turn. She is winless in four starts since (all at longer distances) and is 0-for-2 around two turns. Brill is no slam dunk at the nine-furlong distance of the Black Eyed Susan 2019. 

In addition, Brill favors running near the pace, and there are other horses in this race who prefer to be on or close to the lead. The projected fast early pace could compromise her chances. She's not worth the steep 5-1 Black-Eyed Susan odds she's commanding.

Instead, Demling is high on Off Topic despite being one of the long shots at 8-1. She has won only once in six career starts, that lone victory coming in a maiden race at Gulfstream Park. In two starts this year, she finished second at Oaklawn Park and third in the Gazelle. In both of those races, however, her off-the-pace running style was compromised by slow early paces. The projected fast early fractions of Friday's Black Eyed Susan 2019 should better suit Off Topic's chances. 

Demling is especially high on a monumental long shot that would net any backer a colossal windfall. He is only sharing which horse it is, along with his entire projected 2019 Black Eyed Susan leaderboard, over at SportsLine.

Which horse wins Friday's Black Eyed Susan, and which huge long shot shocks the horse racing world? See the complete 2019 Black Eyed Susan odds below, then visit SportsLine to see Demling's detailed Black Eyed Susan picks, all from the horse racing expert who's won nine Derby-Oaks doubles.
Point of Honor 5-2
Cookie Dough 3-1
Always Shopping 4-1
Brill 5-1
Off Topic 8-1
Las Setas 15-1
Sweet Diane 15-1
Ulele 15-1
Our Super Freak 20-1