Kissin In The Sand, besting Youaremycandygirl after parking the mile in the $300,000 James Lynch Memorial, topped the frosh champion again, this time going wire to wire in the $191,800 Mistletoe Shalee final, pacing the mile and an eighth in 2:04.1.

Wide of Sansovina Hanover sprinting through the stretch to the first turn, Kissin In The Sand cleared command following a :26.3 opening quarter with Youaremycandygirl sliding into the pocket. Youaremycandygirl drafted behind Kissin In The Sand through a :55.1 half while Believe In Me advanced uncovered into fourth rounding the final turn.

Youaremycandygirl angled off the rail following three-quarters in 1:24 but Kissin In The Sand sprinted away into the stretch. The odds-on favourite sped to the wire clear of Youaremycandygirl holding second while Alexas Power rallied from second over to snag third from Wisdom Tree, also closing, in fourth.

Owned by Marvin Katz and Hatfield Stables, Kissin In The Sand, a three-year-old filly by Somebeachsomewhere out of the Real Artist mare Kiss Me Kate, won her fourth race in six starts this season and her 11th in 20 overall, earning $591,445. Scott Zeron sat behind the Nancy Johansson trainee who paid $3.40 to win.

“I chose to put her on the front in a [long-]distance race and she just felt stronger today,” Zeron said after the race. “Maybe [the trip in the Lynch] helped her and she got aggressive today [so] I put her up there. Coming around the last turn, I knew how loaded she was and when I asked her for racetrack, she took it.”

The Mistletoe Shalee was held on the Saturday stakes card at the Meadowlands, with recaps of the other highlighted events available on the 2018 Meadowlands Pace News Centre.