Garden City, Ruffian highlight Belmont card

Gozzip Girl will be the talk of Belmont if she wins the Garden City (Benoit Photos)

The nine-furlong Garden City will mark Gozzip Girl's second spin over

Belmont's inner turf, the first having occurred in May when she preceded her

American Oaks romp with a wire-to-wire victory over yielding ground in the Sands

Point S. (G2). The Tom Albertrani-trained bay has gone from strength to strength

over the course of her stakes season, which began on a high note at Gulfstream

with scores in the Herecomesthebride S. (G3) and Coconut Grove S. Her only

black-type setback was a neck loss over Polytrack in the Ashland S. (G1). Kent

Desormeaux, who is undefeated aboard the filly, is back aboard Saturday and the

pair will break from post 1.

Putting her undefeated four-race streak on the line is MARAM (Sahm), who

captured the inaugural Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf last October for

trainer Chad Brown. The dark bay has been sidelined for most of 2009, however,

but did make a successful return in the August 8 John Hettinger S. at Saratoga.

The scrappy vixen worked a bullet five furlongs over Saratoga's turf course on Monday and gets the services of Jose Lezcano for the fourth time.

The top three finishers in the August 21 Lake Placid S. (G2) will do battle

once again in the Garden City. SHARED ACCOUNT (Pleasantly Perfect) relished the

soft conditions the Lake Placid was contested over, prevailing by a length over

KEERTANA (Johar), who saw her three-race win streak, which included the Regret

S. (G3), snapped that day. Slogging home for third was KATARA (Pulpit), who had

occupied the same position in the Virginia Oaks (G3) in her previous start.

Seventh Street may find more sloppy conditions await in the Ruffian (Bill Roberts/Horsephotos.com)

Seventh Street, who has already earned top level victories in the Apple

Blossom H. (G1) and Go for Wand H. (G1), will be heavily favored to add a third

in the 1 1/16-mile Ruffian. She looks much swifter on paper than entrymate

Skylighter, who has turned in two poor efforts since beating a modest field in

the Allaire duPont Distaff (G2) at Pimlico in May.

The biggest threat might come from SWIFT TEMPER (Giant's Causeway), who

counts the Delaware H. (G2) and Sixty Sails H. (G3) among her tallies the

season. The Dale Romans mare was a clear second in the Personal Ensign S. (G1)

last time to Icon Project (Empire Maker), who freaked by 13 1/2 lengths in that

10-furlong race.