Kiss Thru Fire looks to be redeemed in Charger Bar

Kiss Thru Fire was the bad filly in the Las Damas Handicap at Los Alamitos on Nov. 20.

Kiss Thru Fire finished first, but was disqualified and placed last of seven for causing interference in the 400-yard race.

The situation may only be a temporary setback in Kiss Thru Fire’s career. Sunday at Los Alamitos, Kiss Thru Fire leads a field of 10 in the $100,000 Charger Bar Handicap at 400 yards for fillies and mares.

The Charger Bar is one of the track’s two leading races for older females, followed by the $125,000 Mildred Vessels Handicap in September.

Kiss Thru Fire, owned by Kirk Gentry and trained by Juan Aleman, won the 2021 Charger Bar, the first of four stakes wins through the year. In her career, Kiss Thru Fire has won 9 of 25 starts and earned $520,400.

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Kiss Thru Fire was second by a head to Reason to Fly Mv in the Mildred Vessels Handicap in September and faces that rival again in the Charger Bar.

Trained by Jose Flores, the now 4-year-old Reason to Fly Mv was last of nine in the $600,000 Champion of Champions at 440 yards on Dec. 11, failing to recover after a slow start.

Four of the fillies and mares who finished behind Kiss Thru Fire in the Las Damas are part of the Charger Bar field, notably Astranomical and Suite Expectations, who were promoted to first and second.

Astranomical, also trained by Aleman, was the 24-1 promoted winner of the Las Damas, her first start in 13 months. Earlier in her career, Astranomical was a minor stakes winner at Prairie Meadows in 2020.

Aleman has three runners in the Charger Bar, including College Scandal, a newly turned 4-year-old who won the $112,000 Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Racing Association Breeders’ Derby at 400 yards on Oct. 3 and was later third in the minor Town Policy Handicap at 400 yards on Nov. 6 as the 7-5 favorite.

In the Charger Bar, Suite Expectations is one of three runners trained by Paul Jones, along with Jess Lyndes Reason and Leah Carroll, who were first and fifth in the minor Chiqtas Stakes at 350 yards on Nov. 20.

Suite Expectations was fourth by a half-length in the Mildred Vessels Handicap and later third by a neck behind Kiss Thru Fire in the minor Sound Dash Handicap at 300 yards on Oct. 9.