Gozzip Girl hoping for better trip in Queen Elizabeth

Soaking rains in the latter half of the week in Lexington, Kentucky, should

leave Keeneland's turf course plenty soft for Saturday's $500,000

Queen

Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) for three-year-old fillies. That should be

less of an issue for GOZZIP GIRL (Dynaformer) than avoiding another

near-catastrophic trip, which she endured on similar footing in last month's

Garden City S. (G1) at Belmont Park.

The 2-5 choice in the Garden City off a resounding win in the American Oaks

(G1), Gozzip Girl was stuck on the fence behind rivals who were slowing down

going into the first turn, was forced to steady while being bumped, and then in

a second, far scarier incident, clipped heels, stumbled, ejected Kent Desormeaux

from the irons and nearly from the saddle. Desormeaux somehow regained his seat,

and Gozzip Girl escaped without injury, but the heavy favorite never threatened

in a dull fourth-place effort.

Victorious over yielding ground in the Sands Point S. (G2) three back, Gozzip

Girl was a near winner of the Ashland S. (G1) over Polytrack in her last visit

to Keeneland and should be difficult to beat with a rebound to better form. The

Tom Albertrani pupil will break from post 4 in the seven-horse field that will

travel nine furlongs.

The beneficiary of Gozzip Girl's brutal trip was MISS WORLD (Bernstein), who

registered a 13-1 upset of the Garden City by 1 3/4 lengths in her stakes debut.

The Christophe Clement charge only broke her maiden three days after Gozzip Girl

scored in the American Oaks, but has made sensational progress since then while

competing over a variety of surface conditions. She preceded her Garden City win

with a half-length triumph in a first-level allowance at Saratoga. Rajiv Maragh,

who was aboard for that win but not the Garden City, reclaims the mount

Saturday.

SHARED ACCOUNT (Pleasantly Perfect), who failed in her attempt to lead

gate-to-wire in the Garden City, settled for second behind Miss World that day.

She's never run on any turf listed other than yielding or soft, and her 4-1-2-1

grass mark indicates her preference for such footing. Two back, she prevailed in

the Lake Placid S. (G2) at Saratoga and before that missed by a head to BLIND

DATE (Not for Love) in the Virginia Oaks (G3). That rival has raced exclusively

on dirt since that July score, taking the Pearl Necklace S. for Maryland-breds

and missing by a head in the Maryland Million Oaks most recently.

HOT CHA CHA (Cactus Ridge) missed in a photo in the Appalachian S. (G3) over

the Keeneland turf in April, and finally earned a belated first turf win in the

Pucker Up S. (G3) at Arlington Park on Labor Day. LADY SHAKESPEARE (Theatrical

[Ire]) enters on a three-race winning streak over the Woodbine turf, her most

recent victory coming in the Ontario Colleen S. The field is rounded out by

HAMEILDAEME (GB) (Storming Home [GB]), who's earned minor awards in graded

stakes at Arlington and Del Mar in her last three.

Also on Saturday, three-year-olds will travel the Beard Course of seven

furlongs and 184 feet in the $150,000

Perryville S. (G3). EL BRUJO (Candy Ride [Arg]), the Woodbine-based

synthetic specialist, might go favored following a winning late charge in last

month's Kentucky Cup Sprint (G3). Other prominent entrants  include the

multiple Grade 2-placed WARRIOR'S REWARD (Medaglia d'Oro) and Carry Back S. (G2)

winner NOT FOR SILVER (Not for Love), both of whom will be making their

Polytrack debut.

Warrior's Reward was an impressive allowance winner at the Churchill Downs

spring meet, but was beaten at odds-on in both the Northern Dancer S. (G3) and

Dwyer S. (G2) in his next two starts. After a second in the Jim Dandy S. (G2),

Warrior's Reward ran fifth in the Travers S. (G1) last time. Not for Silver has

generally struggled in other graded attempts this season, and even went unplaced

in the Maryland Million Sprint three weeks ago.