Fort Erie: Kissed By a Prince holds

Heavily favored Kissed By a Prince withstood a strong rally by Royal Dalliance to win the $75,000 H.A. Hindmarsh Stakes by a neck at Fort Erie.

Confidently ridden by Woodbine-based jockey Dino Luciani, Kissed By a Prince stalked the pace of Prospective Gal and Miss Grindstone before taking over two furlongs from the wire in the 1 1/16-mile race.

Royal Dalliance, who trailed early, launched a bid into the last turn and slowly gained on a clear Kissed By a Prince, but came up short. Miss Grindstone finished third.

Kissed By a Prince, owned by Heather Landymore and trained by Mike DePaulo, paid $3.80 and combined with Royal Dalliance for a $11.70 exactor. She was timed in 1:44.65.

The Hindmarsh was the second win from as many starts in 2004 for Kissed By a Prince, a 4-year-old by Tethra. The Hindmarsh was the filly's fifth score in eight career starts, and the $45,000 winner's share boosted her career earnings to $248,931.