NEWS

Gozzip Girl to try for Grade 1 win in Garden City

Posted: Wednesday, September 09, 2009 8:50 PM

GOZZIP GIRL

Benoit & Associates photo

by Myra Lewyn

Gozzip Girl, who has become one the nation’s top sophomore fillies in the shadow of superstar Rachel Alexandra, will seek a third consecutive victory and second at the top level on Saturday in the $300,000 Garden City Handicap (G1) at Belmont Park.

Unlike Rachel Alexandra, the Dynaformer filly is a specialist on grass. She has won four of her past five starts, including the American Oaks Invitational Stakes (G1) on July 5 at Hollywood Park in her most recent start, her lone defeat being second by a neck to Hooh Why in the Ashland Stakes (G1) on April 4 at Keeneland Race Course on Polytrack.

Trained by Tom Albertrani for Farnsworth Stables, Gozzip Girl’s career debut came in a one-mile off-the-turf race a year ago at Belmont and she finished a well-beaten sixth in the eight-horse field. But she has since shown her affinity for the turf, reeling off wins in the Coconut Grove Stakes in February and the Herecomesthebride Stakes (G3) in March, both at Gulfstream Park before the Ashland.

Rebounding with front-running win in the 1 1/8-mile Sands Point Stakes (G2) on May 30 at Belmont, Gozzip Girl subsequently shipped to California and took the American Oaks by 3 1/4 lengths with an explosive rally from off the pace.

Albertrani has previously said that the 1 1/8-mile Garden City and the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) on turf at Keeneland this fall could be Gozzip Girl’s springboards to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf (G1) on November 6 at the Oak Tree meeting at Santa Anita.

Maram, winner of the 2008 Grey Goose Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, could put her undefeated record on the line in the Garden City.

The Sahm filly was sidelined over the winter with knee issues after the Breeders’ Cup, then popped a splint while at Palm Meadows Training Center in South Florida.

Making her first start in 9 1/2 months, Maram scored a convincing win in her comeback in the John Hettinger Stakes on August 8 at Saratoga for trainer Chad Brown.

However, Maram has had some foot issues ahead of the Garden City, and less than ideal conditions on Belmont’s turf course due to forecast rain on Thursday and Friday could put a start in jeopardy, Daily Racing Form reports.

The other graded stakes winners in the field are Shared Account and Keertana, the one-two finishers, respectively, in the Lake Placid Stakes (G2) on August 21 at Saratoga.

Myra Lewyn is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor

Garden City S.

For Equibase entries of Saturday's Belmont card, click here.