Albertrani stays hot in stakes

ELMONT, N.Y. - Horsemen planning to run in the Belmont Stakes can rest easy. Trainer Tom Albertrani doesn't have anything for that race.

On Saturday, Albertrani continued his uncanny stakes success this year as Gozzip Girl, uncharacteristically racing on the lead, won Saturday's Grade 2, $150,000 Sands Point Stakes at Belmont Park.

It was the 13th stakes win of the year for Albertrani and his third graded win at this meet. Earlier, Albertrani won the Grade 2 Nassau County and the Grade 2 Sheepshead Bay. For the year, Albertrani is batting 40 percent in stakes races.

It was the third stakes win of the year for Gozzip Girl, who is making her case as the top 3-year-old turf filly in the country.

Though her prior success came from off the pace, Gozzip Girl displayed a new dimension in the Sands Point. In a race with no speed, jockey Kent Desormeaux let Gozzip Girl run away from the gate, and she found herself dueling outside of Bluegrass Princess through a half-mile in 50.61 seconds. Midway down the backstretch, Gozzip Girl got away from Bluegrass Princess and made her way over to the rail. Bluegrass Princess, under John Velazquez, came back at her from the outside, but Gozzip Girl ran away from the field in the stretch. Gozzip Girl easily held off Warm Shower by 1o1/2 lengths. It was three-quarters of a length back to Bluegrass Princess. Magical Affair, the 6-5 favorite, finished fourth.

Gozzip Girl, a daughter of Dynaformer, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.25 over a turf course labeled yielding. She returned $5 as the second choice.

"She leaves a little sluggish because she's so leggy," Desormeaux said. "So I encouraged her to come away running and then see where we were going to be because I thought it was going to be a paceless race. Once she got near the lead, she came back to me and I let her find a rhythm, and that rhythm was on the lead. She cornered for home full of run."

Albertrani, who won this race last year with Raw Silk, was fairly confident Gozzip Girl would enjoy the 1 1/8 miles of the Sands Point and is now looking to stretch her out to 1 1/4 miles in the $750,000 American Oaks at Hollywood Park on July 5.

In other stakes action here Saturday:

* Favored Cool Coal Man ($3.50) shrugged off a pace challenge from True Resurgence and drew clear to a 5 1/2-length victory under John Velazquez in the $69,150 Lord of the Night Stakes.

* Favored Scolara ($6.60), Desormeaux up, got up in the final strides to win a nose decision over Kristi With a K in the $69,250 Mckaymacekenna Stakes for fillies and mares on the turf.