Miss Leslie rides streak into Ladies

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The four-time listed stakes winner Miss Leslie will look to add to her solid résumé when she heads a six-horse field of older fillies and mares entered in Sunday’s $100,000 Ladies Stakes at Aqueduct.

The Ladies, once upon a time a Grade 1 race, is having its 151st running on Sunday. There will be a $42,913 pick six carryover on Sunday's card after the bet went unhit Friday and Saturday's card was canceled.

Miss Leslie, based in Maryland with trainer Claudio Gonzalez, has won her last three starts, including a 3 3/4-length victory in the Carousel Stakes at Laurel Park on Dec. 26 at the Ladies distance of 1 1/8 miles. Her two wins prior to that were at a mile and 70 yards and 1 1/16 miles, giving her three straight wins around two turns.

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“All the time she’s run two turns, she’s run big,” Gonzalez said. “The longer the better for her.”

In the Ladies, Miss Leslie is coming back just three weeks after she recorded her career-best Beyer Speed Figure, a 91, in the Carousel. Gonzalez said he is a little concerned about that as well as having to come off Lasix.

“I breezed her on Sunday and she breezed really good and came back really good,” Gonzalez said.

Angel Cruz, aboard for Miss Leslie’s last three wins, is coming up from Maryland for the ride.

Kiss the Girl, 5 1/2 lengths behind Miss Leslie when third in the Carousel, is also shipping in from Maryland to try that rival again. Owner Kirk Wycoff, of Three Diamonds Farm, pulled her from the Keeneland sale earlier in the week.

Trainer Mike Trombetta thought the track she ran over in the Carousel was a difficult track, but Kiss the Girl still “ran to form. She showed up and did pretty good.”

Manny Franco rides Kiss the Girl from post 2.

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The locally based lineup is headed by two females making their first start off the claim. On Dec. 19, Battle Bling was beaten a neck by Maiden Beauty and was claimed by Michael Dubb and Rob Atras for $62,500. Maiden Beauty came back to win the Bay Ridge Stakes for New York-breds in her next start.

Atras was “really happy” the way Battle Bling ran in that one-mile optional claimer but is also heartened by the fact Battle Bling ran well going 1 1/8 miles when she finished three-quarters of a length behind Vegas Weekend in a $50,000 claimer at Saratoga.

Trevor McCarthy rides Battle Bling from post 4.

It’s Cold in Dehere will make her first start for Linda Rice, who claimed the mare for $62,500 out of a winning effort going 1 1/8 miles at Churchill Downs on Nov. 24. It’s Cold in Dehere has the ability to lay close if the pace is slow.

Exotic West, breaking from the rail under Dylan Davis, is the potential speed of the race. She is coming off a starter-allowance win going a one-turn mile on Dec. 12 but was successful winning a $40,000 claimer at Saratoga last August.

Vienna Code, trained by Andrew Williams, is coming off a statebred allowance win going a mile on Dec. 19.