Cowgirls Don't Cry gets revenge

Cowgirls Don't Cry, who had been beaten by Rite Moment and stablemate Wow Me Free in recent stakes at Aqueduct, turned the tables in Saturday's Shuvee Handicap at Belmont Park as Mike Luzzi posted career victory 2,999.

Luzzi put Cowgirls Don't Cry on the lead while pressed by Striking Tomisue through moderate fractions of 23.76 seconds, 47.67, and 1:12.55 in the one-mile race. Cowgirls Don't Cry widened her lead in midstretch and remained clear to score by 2 1/4 lengths over 3-2 favorite Rite Moment.

Wow Me Free, Carriage Trail, Striking Tomisue, and Scatkey completed the order of finish.

"I got a clean break and she got out there easily," said Luzzi, who then won the nightcap on Too Tough Pete ($7) to notch win No. 3,000. "I hit her right-handed and she switched leads, so I didn't do that again. She got clear and I had horse."

Cowgirls Don't Cry ($22.40) ran the mile in 1:37.31 over a drying-out main track that had been muddy to start the day, but was upgraded to fast by midafternoon. She was the second stakes winner on the card, and fourth at the meet, for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.

"I was surprised the pace wasn't very fast," said McLaughlin. "I thought there was more speed in the race and that it set up better for Wow Me Free. Now, I guess we'll probably run her back on June 14," in the Ogden Phipps Handicap.

Upper Noosh: It's Genuine Devotion

Earlier, the McLaughlin-trained Genuine Devotion ($4.40) won the $79,500 Upper Noosh Stakes for fillies and mares under Alan Garcia, confirming she loves turf sprints at Belmont and doesn't care what the course conditions are.

Genuine Devotion, who won at Belmont on firm and good turf last fall, including the $105,000 Xtra Heat Stakes, handled soft going nicely to improve to 3 for 3 on Belmont turf. She stalked second choice Christmas Kid through the opening half-mile, drew clear into the stretch, and held off 12-1 longshot Weeks by 1 1/4 lengths. Any Limit was third.

Genuine Devotion ran six furlongs in 1:10.72.