KISS THRU FIRE WIN SOUND DASH FOR HER FOURTH STAKES WIN OF SEASON
Gentry Farms’ impressive mare Kiss Thru Fire scored her fourth stakes win at Los Alamitos this season after finishing strongly in the $20,000 Sound Dash Handicap at 300 yards.
Ridden by Raul Valenzuela for trainer Juan Aleman, Kiss Thru Fire was fourth at the start before flying late to post a neck victory over Gotta Corona Jess in this race for 3-year-old and upward fillies and mares. Kiss Thru Fire, who covered the distance in a sharp :15.420, has now won the Grade 1 Charger Bar Handicap, Denim N Diamonds Handicap, California Breeders Matron Stakes and now the Sound Dash. She came into this race after running second in the Grade 1 Mildred Vessels Memorial Handicap to the talented sophomore Reason To Fly MV.
Kiss Thru Fire earned $11,000 for the win here to take her career bankroll to $520,400. She also improved to nine wins in 24 starts.
“She’s class,” Aleman said. “To tell you the truth we were not set up for this race, but we were going to have to work her anyways because her days were going to be up before the Las Damas Handicap (on November 20). I talked it over with Mr. Gentry and said that we were going to have to work her here in the next 14 days, so we might as well run her for $20,000. I know it’s not her distance but if she could just get away decent, I knew she could run them down. She needed all those 300 yards to catch them. She lost that last one by a head, but she’s a hard-nose filly and gives it all she’s got. She got it done tonight.”
The Gentry Farms female runners have been tremendous this season. College Scandal won the PCQHRA Breeders Derby for Gentry Farms last week and Kiss Thru Fire is as good a mare as there is in the nation this season.
Manuel Alvarez’s Gotta Corona Jess ran sharply from post seven to finish second while earning $4,500 for running second. The 3-year-old filly by Apollitical Jess posted her best result since enjoying a three-race win streak earlier this meet. Ruben Lozano piloted the runner-up for trainer Lindolfo Diaz.
Paul Jones and Thompson Racing Inc.’s Suite Expectations, who ran a solid fourth in the Mildred Vessels, finished third in the Sound Dash with Jesus Rios Ayala up. Cotton Cartel, Elphaba, Political Babbel, Cartel Fire Two and Terrific Temper completed the field.
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