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Music Note towers over Gazelle rivals Multiple Grade 1 heroine MUSIC NOTE (A.P. Indy) is looking to build up her credentials for year-end divisional honors with a victory in Saturday's $250,000 Gazelle S. (G1) at Belmont Park. The bay lass has beaten, and been beaten by, Kentucky Oaks (G1) queen Proud Spell (Proud Citizen), but the pair will not meet up in the 1 1/8-mile Gazelle. Instead, Music Note will once again take on a depleted field, this time facing just four rivals including fellow Grade 1 winner COUNTRY STAR (Empire Maker). It's not certain Music Note and Proud Spell will meet up again this year, as the latter lass is headed for the $750,000 Cotillion S. (G2) at Philadelphia Park on September 20. The Saeed bin Suroor-trained Music Note needs a convincing victory here to add to previous scores in the Mother Goose S. (G1) and Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) to state her case for the Eclipse Award. "We're looking at the Gazelle as a very important race," assistant trainer Rick Mettee said. "We don't know Proud Spell's schedule after the Cotillion. Music Note has won some important races and the Gazelle is also an important race and probably her last time against three-year-old fillies. "Saeed has suggested that the Breeders' Cup (Distaff [G1] on October 24 at Santa Anita) would be a possible direction for Music Note, but that will be a very tough race. Not only will she be facing older horses for the first time, but the older horses she will be facing will be Zenyatta (Street Cry [Ire]), Ginger Punch (Awesome Again) and Hystericalady (Distorted Humor). And, they will be racing on a surface that no one is quite sure of what to expect. "First things first, and right now, we have to worry about the Gazelle." Though the new synthetic track at Santa Anita may be giving Mettee a pause, Country Star's connections are probably not all that worried. The Bobby Frankel charge captured the Alcibiades S. (G1) last year over Keeneland's Polytrack, then headed west to Hollywood Park's Cushion Track to take the Hollywood Starlet S. (G1). The dark bay lass returned off a four-month break to be fifth in the Ashland S. (G1), then was sent to the main track at Churchill Downs and finished sixth in the Kentucky Oaks. Country Star took to the turf last out, winning a useful allowance/optional claiming prep at Saratoga, and will get a rider switch to John Velazquez here. Earlier on the card, a more substantial field of nine distaffers will take to Belmont's Widener turf in the $100,000 Noble Damsel H. (G3). The mile event has drawn the likes of multiple Grade 3 queen CRIMINOLOGIST (Maria's Mon) and stakes winner CHESTORIA (Chester House). The former runner captured the Beaugay H. (G3) in late April, then was a close seventh, just 3 1/2 lengths back of the winner, in the Just a Game S. (G1) two starts back. Criminologist once again took on more than she could handle in the Diana S. (G1) last out, and will be backing up to a level where she's more competitive. Chestoria was also out of her league in the Diana most recently and could show much more in this spot. The dark bay four-year-old added the Mariensky S. to her line two back and will be returning to a turf course over which she owns a 4-0-1 mark from six tries.
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