Kelly: Let it snow

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - Can Mother Nature be good to Pat Kelly twice in one week?

Saturday, Kelly sent out Evening Attire to an easy eight-length victory in the off-the-turf Red Smith Handicap. The race was moved to the main track because New York Racing Association officials deemed Aqueduct's turf unsafe.

Surprisingly - and despite a forecast that calls for a mixture of rain and snow Wednesday - NYRA took entries for the $65,000 Memories of Silver Stakes at one mile on the grass. It's anybody's guess whether the race will remain on the turf, but Kelly is hoping it comes off so he can run Cozzy Corner.

Despite the fact that Cozzy Corner is a graded stakes winner on turf, Kelly entered Cozzy Corner as a main-track-only participant in the race because "she hates soft turf," Kelly said.

On April 1, 2001, Cozzy Corner won her maiden going a mile over a muddy Aqueduct main track. In her only two dirt starts since, she finished fifth in a second-level allowance race in June 2001 and last of four in the off-the-turf Sands Point Handicap that same month.

Cozzy Corner is winless in seven starts this year, though she did finish a solid third against the boys in the Grade 3 Jaipur Handicap. She has fired bullet workouts in two of her last moves on Belmont's training track.

"She's been burning up the track around here in the morning," Kelly said.

There are three other horses entered as main-track-only runners, but all show speed and figure to set things up nicely for Cozzy Corner if she's good enough.

If the race remains on turf, the central figures would be She's Vested, Silver Rail, and Softly Tread.

She's Vested is coming off a second-level allowance win over a yielding Aqueduct turf course going 1 1/16 miles. The race before that she finished third, only a half-length behind Caught in the Rain, who came back to win the Mrs. Revere Stakes on Nov. 16 at Churchill Downs. Richard Migliore rides from post 6.

Silver Rail is in excellent form, but would have to overcome post 11 and co-highweight of 123 pounds. Silver Rail won a classified allowance race at The Meadowlands over yielding turf. Last out, she was beaten only 1 1/2 lengths in the Grade 3 Athenia Handicap.

Silver Rail won the first two starts of her career on dirt, and could be a factor if the race is moved to the main track.

Softly Tread beat males in the Group 3 Gladness Stakes in Ireland as a 3-year-old.

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