from Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – January 7, 2005 – Stonebridge Kisses [$15.00, $4.20, $3.00] closed from last to first to take the featured fifth race, the $42,500 mares open, on Friday night at the Meadowlands.
The five-year-old daughter of Artiscape paced the mile in a lifetime best of 1:51.3.
Stonebridge Kisses, driven by Yannick Gingras and trained by Mark Ford, won by a half length over Jet Lag N [$2.60, $2.10]. Feathery Fame [$3.20], who cut the fractions, was third by a half-length. Maybe A Rita and Artbritration deadheated for fourth.
She was real good tonight,” said Gingras. “I didn’t want to go first up with her because I went wide with her at Freehold last week. I wanted to keep her happy tonight. That’s why we were last at the top of the stretch, but I knew she had a lot of pace and I wasn’t worried. She was real good tonight, real calm.”
The victory improved Stonebridge Kisses record to 15 wins, eight seconds and 11 thirds from 53 career starts for earnings of $175,770. She now has six wins in the 14 starts since Martin Scharf of Lawrence, New York, acquired her in September.
“She wasn’t an expensive horse,” said Ford. “She was just racing okay so we didn’t pay her into any of the series. We’ll probably have to send her to Toronto or Dover once the mares series start here.”