Gozzip Girl the talk of the track

No, not that Gossip Girl. While GG is on summer hiatus from TV, it has become clear that females have taken over as the stars in thoroughbred racing.

The latest filly to strut her stuff is Gozzip Girl, a 3-year-old who overwhelmed a 14-horse international field in the Grade I $700,000 American Oaks on Sunday at Hollywood Park.

Gozzip Girl, ridden by Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux, shifted gears in the stretch and unleashed an explosive finishing kick for a decisive 3 1/4 -length victory over Well Monied, completing the 1 1/4 miles on the turf in 2:00.22.

The victory was the first in a Grade I race for Gozzip Girl, a Kentucky-bred daughter of Dynaformer.

She won the Grade II Sands Point at Belmont on the turf in her last start and has won on dirt and synthetic surfaces in scoring her fifth victory in eight lifetime starts.

Gozzip Girl joins the 3-year-old filly Rachel Alexandra and the 5-year-old unbeaten mare Zenyatta as part of a trio of exceptional females in training. A fourth outstanding filly, Life Is Sweet, figures to be the favorite in Saturday’s Grade I $700,000 Hollywood Gold Cup at 1 1/4 miles on the Cushion Track.

Be sure to keep your eye on all these girls. xoxo

Fashionable Filly: Rachel Alexandra poses for Vogue

It was just announced that Preakness winner Rachel Alexandra will NOT run in the June 6th Belmont Stakes. The first filly to win the Preakness in 85 years, Rachel Alexandra delivered a brilliant effort on May 16 to win the second leg of the of the Triple Crown series. She will be taking a “well deserved vacation” said her owner.

But don’t worry about Rachel Alexandra. The fashionable filly just posed for a photo spread in Vogue.

Pictures of the Preakness-winning filly were shot Friday by fashion photographer Steven Klein for the magazine’s August issue.

Rachel Alexandra had to be awakened in her stall at Churchill Downs when it was time for her star turn.

“Done photo shoots before, but first one for Vogue,” said Scott Blasi, assistant to trainer Steve Asmussen who held the shank on the filly during the session.

The magazine spread grew out of a trip to the Preakness by Vogue editor Anna Wintour.

“She was there at the Preakness and was inspired, like so many other women were,” said Caroline Shaw, a spokeswoman for Jess Jackson, the filly’s majority owner.

There was no such star treatment for Mine That Bird. The Kentucky Derby winner and Preakness runner-up quietly galloped twice around the track sans photographers. Maybe GQ will want to do a spread.

New reality show takes viewers into lives of Jockeys

Move over, Heidi Klum and Paris Hilton. You’ve got company on reality television.

The thrills. The spills. The rivalries and romances. And yes, the racing, too. It’s all there in a new 12-part documentary television series, “Jockeys,” that begins tonight, Feb. 6, at 9 p.m. EST on Animal Planet.

The series, which will be broadcast in high definition in two half-hour episodes each Friday over the next six weeks, promises to take the viewer inside the world of jockeys in a way that nothing has before. Filmed mostly during last fall’s Oak Tree meet at Santa Anita, the previews for the series seem to focus on the danger aspect of the profession. But all the angles will be covered, both on and off the track, promise the show’s executive producers  Liz Bronstein and Tina Gazzero.

The seven jockeys – Hall of Famer Mike Smith, Canadian import Chantal Sutherland, teenager Joe Talamo, veterans Jon Court, Aaron Gryder and Alex Solis, and Australian newcomer Kayla Stra – agreed to allow the cameras to follow them both at the track and in their private lives believing the series will give horse racing much needed exposure to the general public.

The riders are seen scrambling to secure mounts for the 14 Breeders’ Cup races, where purses range from $1 million to $5 million. Winning just one of the races can set a jockey up for a good year financially and lend prestige to their resume.

Some of the jockeys wore microphones while riding, allowing viewers rare audio of their adrenaline-charged comments.

So what’s it like for an athlete who barely weights 100 pounds to ride a 1,200-pound animal at speeds up to 40 mph in a 2-minute race? Find out in tonight’s episode, “Win or Die Trying.”