Del Mar: Cozi Rosie gets good trip to take John Mabee

DEL MAR, Calif. - Forget Cozi Rosie’s troubled second in the Grade 3 Beverly Hills Handicap at Hollywood Park in late June. Luck was with Cozi Rosie in Sunday’s $250,000 John Mabee Stakes at Del Mar.

Closing along the rail under red-hot jockey Garrett Gomez, Cozi Rosie ($10.40) caught pacesetter Wasted Tears in the final furlong and held off a late threat from Malibu Pier to win her first stakes since February in the Grade 2 John Mabee.

Sent off as the third choice, Cozi Rosie finished a half-length in front of Malibu Pier, who was a head in front of Wasted Tears. Harmonious, the 4-5 favorite, closed from last in a field of seven to finish fourth. Cozi Rosie ran 1 1/8 miles on turf in 1:47.69.

“She was deserving of some good luck,” trainer John Sadler said. “She’s had some trips that didn’t always go well.”

Gomez said he wanted to save ground, and found ample opportunity when Wasted Tears led by as many as two lengths on the backstretch, resulting in a field spread out over nearly 14 lengths after a half-mile.

Cozi Rosie was fifth on the backstretch and trailed Wasted Tears by a length with a furlong remaining.

“I was surprised that she fought like she did,” Gomez said of Wasted Tears. “My filly was running.”

The second-place finish by Malibu Pier left trainer Carla Gaines “disappointed. I thought she’d get it done,” she said.

Cozi Rosie races for breeders Jerry and Ann Moss and has won 5 of 13 starts and $477,280. A 4-year-old filly by Pleasantly Perfect, Cozi Rosie won her third stakes in the Mabee. She won the Grade 3 Senorita Stakes at Hollywood Park last year and the Grade 2 Buena Vista Handicap at Santa Anita in February.