You Go West Girl comes back east

ELMONT, N.Y. - You Go West Girl has done some of her best work east of her home base of Kentucky.

Sunday, You Go West Girl returns to Belmont Park and drops into New York-bred competition when she heads a seven-horse field entered in the $100,000 Mount Vernon Stakes at 1 1/16 miles over the inner turf course.

You Go West Girl is 3 for 5 at Belmont, with victories in the John Hettinger and Ticonderoga stakes last fall. Since then, she was beaten a head by Acoma in the Grade 3 Cardinal Handicap at Churchill Downs to end her 5-year-old season and was beaten four lengths by the Group 1 winner Rainbow View in an allowance race at Keeneland to kick off her 6-year-old campaign. Rainbow View came back to win the Grade 3 Gallorette at Pimlico on Preakness Day.

Tom Proctor, the trainer of You Go West Girl, said he was happy with the mare's race at Keeneland and believes the effort and four subsequent works have her ready for this.

"She's a very slight filly. She didn't need any more than one race," Proctor said. "I'd probably prefer this to be a mile and an eighth, but second back off a layoff at a mile and a sixteenth is fine."

Jose Lezcano, who rode You Go West Girl to both of her victories here last fall, is back aboard Sunday.

Akilina is 3 for 4 at Belmont Park, including a victory in the Shopping for Love Stakes last Oct. 2, her last start against New York-bred competition. In four starts since, she has two thirds, a second, and a victory against open company at Fair Grounds. Two starts back, Akilina was beaten 1 1/4 lengths by Wasted Tears, a mare who has won five consecutive races. Last out, Akilina encountered trouble when second to Way With Words in the South Beach Stakes at Gulfstream,

"She got in really tight in the stretch and stumbled and lost two or three lengths," trainer Christophe Clement said. "But we weren't going to beat the winner."

Trainer Tom Bush sends out the uncoupled entry of Tulipmania and Our Golden Dream. Though Tulipmania has shown speed in the past, Bush said he wants to see his mare come from off the pace, which is why he is making a switch to Kent Desormeaux.

Our Golden Dream won an overnight stakes here last July, and twice finished behind Akilina last year.

Paraiba, Stormy Relations, and Chestoria complete the field.