Kiss the Girl scores second straight stakes win

Into Mischief’s 5-year-old daughter has gotten off to an excellent start in 2022, tallying a pair of stakes wins, the latest coming in the $100,000 Nellie Morse S. Feb. 19 at Laurel Park.

Ridden by Victor Carrasco, Kiss the Girl had to overcome a troubled trip to get the victory in the 1 1/16-mile affair. After the start, Kiss the Girl took up a spot along the rail just a couple lengths from the pacesetter Smooth With a Kick. The field of five distaffers held their positions for the first six furlongs, which went in 1:11.96. Kiss the Girl was making her move just before the stretch when she had to check sharply behind a fading Smooth With a Kick. Carrasco gathered his mount up, then split horses in upper stretch and drove to the 1 ¼-length victory.

“She keeps surprising me,” trainer Michael Trombetta said. “She runs hard every time and today she had some adversity turning for home and Victor did a great job. He just had to regroup and get a little patient and find another avenue to get home. But she came through and he did a good job of helping her.”

Kiss the Girl, owned by Three Diamonds Farm, is now a four-time stakes winner, with a record of 8-4-3 in 23 starts, and earnings of $456,686.

The winner is the first foal out of Spin the Bottle and was bred by Classic Thoroughbreds XII.