Belmont Park: Draw It tries turf in first-level allowance

Tom Keyser

Draw It will make her turf debut Friday at Belmont Park in a first-level allowance.

ELMONT, N.Y. – It’s not that Draw It hasn’t run well on the dirt since Tom Albertrani has taken over her training. She just hasn’t run well enough to win.

Friday, Albertrani hopes a change of surface will move Draw It up just enough to get to the winner’s circle in a $77,000, first-level allowance race at 1 1/8 miles on the turf at Belmont Park.

This will be Draw It’s 10th career start, first on turf. In five starts for Albertrani, Draw It finished second in four of them, including a runner-up finish to the undefeated Awesome Feather in the Grade 1 Gazelle last November at Aqueduct.

In her first start this year, Draw It finished third behind the repeating winner Moment in Dixie in a one-mile first-level allowance race.

“In her last race, we knew we were running her probably a little shorter than what she wants to go,” Albertrani said. “I was always anxious to try her on the turf, because Tapit’s [progeny] sometimes do well over the turf. When she runs, she always seems to fall back at one stage . . . suddenly she finds a way to get her action back and she seems to finish up strong. Just trying something different with her; it might help her, it might not.”

Rajiv Maragh will ride Draw It from post 5.

Sex Appeal has been mired in this condition since winning a maiden race over the Belmont turf last July 4. She is coming off a runner-up finish in a similar spot as this at Keeneland on April 26. Trainer Shug McGaughey is having a solid meet, especially with his turf runners.

“I think she’s getting better,” said McGaughey, who noted that progeny of Dynaformer do improve with age. “She wants to still run farther, but there hasn’t been one. I think she should be competitive in that spot.”

Queen of King St is 2 for 2 since trainer Ralph Nicks put her on turf. She does meet better competition than she has faced thus far and will have to carry her speed another furlong under Corey Nakatani.

Dreaming of Cara was competitive when fourth in a spot similar to this two starts back. She was overmatched when attempting the Grade 2 Sands Point. Ramon Dominguez rides for trainer Mitch Friedman, a combination that is 7 for 16 since the start of 2011.

Thisizsparta, My Perfect Light, Freedom Rings, Forbidden Gift, Town Flirt, Classical Fashion, and Color Blind complete the field.

◗ Want to claim a Grade 1 winner for $20,000?

Mabou, winner of last year’s Grade 1 New York Turf Writers Steeplechase Handicap, is entered in a $20,000 claimer going 1 1/16 miles over the flat in Friday’s ninth. Trainer and part-owner David Jacobson claimed Mabou for $30,000 last Aug. 4 and won the Turf Writers Cup three weeks later.