Sunland Park: Kiss My Hennessy freshened for Pepsi Cola Stakes

Kiss My Hennessy will give up recency to his 11 rivals Saturday in the $85,000 Pepsi Cola at Sunland Park, but as a two-time stakes winner he is a leading contender in the six-furlong race for 3-year-olds bred in New Mexico.

Kiss My Hennessy will be making his first start since October. He won 3 of 7 starts last year, including a division of the $120,000 Copper Top Futurity at Sunland in April and the $172,000 Rio Grande Futurity at Ruidoso Downs in July. Following a third-place finish in the $140,000 New Mexico Cup Juvenile at Zia on Oct. 28, Kiss My Hennessy was freshened in a schedule that suited the stakes-winning sprinter as the year’s remaining races for his division were route stakes. For his return, Kiss My Hennessy has been working steady at Sunland for trainer Todd Fincher, who wins at a 25 percent rate with his layoff prospects. Casey Lambert has the mount from post 11.

Others set to start include Storms Surprise, a more than four-length winner of the $85,000 Red Hedeman Mile for New Mexico-breds at Sunland on Dec. 29, and Jenson’s Miracle, who was a nose winner of the $125,000 Eddy County for New Mexico-breds at a mile at Zia on Dec. 2.

* Forest Mouse, who set a track record for a mile and 70 yards winning the $50,000 Winsham Lad at Sunland on Jan. 6, will likely make his next start in the $50,000 Curribot at Sunland, said his trainer, Henry Dominguez. The mile and a sixteenth race is Feb. 10. Forest Mouse won the Winsham in 1:39.01.