Kenzadargent cruises in Miss Liberty Stakes

Kenzadargent hinted at her potential last summer after being imported from her native France, nicely winning back-to-back optional-claiming races. After she came up short as the favorite in the $200,000 Pebbles Stakes in October, trainer Chad Brown gave her the winter off.

She came back revitalized in the $75,000 Miss Liberty Stakes at Monmouth Park on Monday to begin her 4-year-old season on a positive note, winning by 3 1/4 lengths without having to expend very much energy. She surely will face tougher opposition as the year progresses.

Kenzadargent did not break especially sharply in the Miss Liberty, a 1 1/16-mile turf race. She was unhurried while saving ground until the backstretch, at which point jockey Jose Lezcano gave her a nudge, and she quickly moved into a contending position along the rail.

Nearing the stretch, a hole opened along the fence, and Lezcano asked her to go. She put a head in front of the pacesetting Miss Frost from the inside in upper stretch, then found her best gear and left the field in her wake, with Lezcano not asking for much late.

“It got a little tight around the five-sixteenths pole,” Lezcano said, “but she is a very nice filly, and she won the race.”

Kenzadargent paid $5.80 to win as the favorite in the 10-horse field. She was timed in 1:41.10 after getting the mile in 1:34.93. Miss Frost cut out early fractions of 23.51 seconds, 47.17, and 1:10.39.

Patsy’s Holiday, who was never far back, finished second after racing outside the winner on the far turn. Evidently rallied from well back at 19-1 to be third, a neck behind Patsy’s Holiday. Tokyo Time, who tracked Miss Frost early, was fourth, another neck back.

Cushion, the 5-2 second choice, finished sixth, beaten five lengths. Pink Poppy, 27-1, stumbled badly at the start.

Kenzadargent, who was Group 3-placed twice in France, is now 3 for 4 in the U.S. and 4 for 16 overall. Brown and owner Martin S. Schwartz campaigned filly-and-mare turf champions Stacelita and Zagora in 2011 and 2012, respectively, both of whom were bred in France. It will be interesting to see where Kenzadargent fits in the division as the year goes on.