Scratching from sickness in the Roses Are Red Final, Kissin In The Sand returned to the track with a swift performance in the Milton elimination and parlayed that effort to a 1:49 show of force in the $215,000 final on Saturday (Sept. 26) at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
Positioned third to a :26.1 first quarter set by Lit De Rose firing from post 8, driver Jody Jamieson angled Kissin In The Sand outside and brushed to the lead heading to a :54.1 half.
Treacherous Reign flushed first over into the far turn with Warrawee Ubeaut tracking cover, but Kissin In The Sand separated from the field to three-quarters in 1:22.1. The five-year-old Somebeachsomewhere mare continued to widen her lead through the stretch under minimal urging to win by open lengths over Lit De Rose, who held second as Caviart Ally rallied off cover for third. Treacherous Reign finished fourth.
“She clearly needed that race last week,” Jamieson said after the race. “She was so good coming off the rail in :25.3 on the end. I was just ultra confident in her, and we got to pick our post obviously with the win. So I just figured that we get away a little bit close and see how it panned out, and it worked out perfectly to get back to the lead. She just did the rest; Nancy [Takter] and her team had her awesome tonight—she was unbeatable, really. She just jogged :26.4 on the end like breaking sticks—really just an amazing effort.”
Trained by Nancy Takter for owners Marvin Katz and Hatfield Stables, Kissin In The Sand scored her third win from seven starts this season and her 22nd from 53 overall. With the victory, Kissin In The Sand has now earned $1,494,427.
“Nancy Takter doesn’t need me to sing her praises,” said co-owner Marvin Katz after the race, “but this mare is entirely 100 per cent due to Nancy Takter. From the time she was a baby, developing her as a yearling, she’s loved her. Nancy and I have had 50 discussions about stopping with her and its Nancy who’s insisted [we race], because we want to breed of course. Nancy loves this filly and deserves absolutely all of the credit in the world, and the performance tonight speaks volumes of Nancy Takter.”
The Milton Stakes was one of the handful of major stakes events on the Saturday card at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Recaps from the other races are available at the following links:
To view the results from Saturday's card of harness racing at Woodbine Mohawk Park, click the following link: Saturday Results - Woodbine Mohawk Park.