Garden City, Ruffian highlight Belmont card

Last updated: 9/9/09 7:55 PM

A pair of Grade 1 races highlight the first Saturday of the Belmont Park fall
meet, with the $300,000
Garden
City S. (G1) for three-year-old fillies taking the role of the feature as
the 8TH race on the 10-race program. GOZZIP GIRL (Dynaformer), who left little
doubt about her superiority among the nation’s sophomore turf fillies when
taking the July 5 American Oaks Invitational (G1) by more than three lengths, should be a
strong favorite in the Garden City, while the Godolphin-owned entry of SEVENTH
STREET (Street Cry [Ire]) and SKYLIGHTER (Sky Mesa) lead a field of six older
fillies and mares in the $300,000
Ruffian
H. (G1) earlier in the card.

Gozzip Girl will be the talk of Belmont if she wins the Garden City
(Benoit Photos)

The nine-furlong Garden City will mark Gozzip Girl’s second spin over
Belmont’s inner turf, the first having occurred in May when she preceded her
American Oaks romp with a wire-to-wire victory over yielding ground in the Sands
Point S. (G2). The Tom Albertrani-trained bay has gone from strength to strength
over the course of her stakes season, which began on a high note at Gulfstream
with scores in the Herecomesthebride S. (G3) and Coconut Grove S. Her only
black-type setback was a neck loss over Polytrack in the Ashland S. (G1). Kent
Desormeaux, who is undefeated aboard the filly, is back aboard Saturday and the
pair will break from post 1.

Putting her undefeated four-race streak on the line is MARAM (Sahm), who
captured the inaugural Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf last October for
trainer Chad Brown. The dark bay has been sidelined for most of 2009, however,
but did make a successful return in the August 8 John Hettinger S. at Saratoga.
The scrappy vixen worked a bullet five furlongs over Saratoga’s turf course on Monday and gets the services of Jose Lezcano for the fourth time.

The top three finishers in the August 21 Lake Placid S. (G2) will do battle
once again in the Garden City. SHARED ACCOUNT (Pleasantly Perfect) relished the
soft conditions the Lake Placid was contested over, prevailing by a length over
KEERTANA (Johar), who saw her three-race win streak, which included the Regret
S. (G3), snapped that day. Slogging home for third was KATARA (Pulpit), who had
occupied the same position in the Virginia Oaks (G3) in her previous start.

PULL DANCER (Pulpit) has won two of four starts on grass for Kiaran
McLaughlin, and just missed by a nose in the Alywow S. at Woodbine two
back. MISS WORLD (Bernstein) is another possessing the same number of wins on
turf and will make her stakes debut for trainer Christophe Clement and jockey
Garrett Gomez. The Garden City is rounded out by Grade 3 queen DON’T FORGET GIL
(Kafwain), the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) runner-up who is trying turf for
the first time, and the seemingly overmatched Calder invader MANY KISSES
(Unbridled’s Image).

Seventh Street may find more sloppy conditions await in the Ruffian
(Bill Roberts/Horsephotos.com)

Seventh Street, who has already earned top level victories in the Apple
Blossom H. (G1) and Go for Wand H. (G1), will be heavily favored to add a third
in the 1 1/16-mile Ruffian. She looks much swifter on paper than entrymate
Skylighter, who has turned in two poor efforts since beating a modest field in
the Allaire duPont Distaff (G2) at Pimlico in May.

The biggest threat might come from SWIFT TEMPER (Giant’s Causeway), who
counts the Delaware H. (G2) and Sixty Sails H. (G3) among her tallies the
season. The Dale Romans mare was a clear second in the Personal Ensign S. (G1)
last time to Icon Project (Empire Maker), who freaked by 13 1/2 lengths in that
10-furlong race.

LUNA VEGA (Malibu Moon), beaten nearly nine lengths by Seventh Street in the
Go for Wand despite a seven-pound pull in the weights, will receive only a
six-pound concession Saturday after rebounding in the August 30 Molly Pitcher S.
(G2). The Go for Wand is the filly’s only loss from her last four starts. The
Ruffian is rounded out by BE FAIR (Exchange Rate), the only three-year-old in
the field who took the off-the-turf Lake George S. (G3) two back, and EXOTIC
INDY (A.P. Indy), who beat two rivals in the Omnibus S. at Monmouth last time.