Photo: Adam Coglianese
Flying Zee Racing Stables’ Agave Kiss cruised home to a three-length victory in her graded stakes bow on Saturday, Aqueduct’s $150,000, Grade 3 Cicada S. The 3-year-old daughter of Lion Heart remains undefeated – and never headed – in four career starts, all at six furlongs.
Trained by Rudy Rodriguez and ridden in the Cicada by regular jockey Ryan Curatolo, Agave Kiss – overwhelming 1-4 choice in the field of five 3-year-old fillies – got out of the gate well from post two and, after turning back a brief early challenge from the rail horse Alydarla, opened up two lengths on the field by the end of the first quarter-mile.
Running the quarter in 23.12 and half in 46.24, Agave Kiss increased her advantage to five lengths by the top of the stretch, and continued to cruise homeward unchallenged. Curatolo put her to something of a drive in upper stretch and brought her across the finish line with three lengths to spare under a vigorous hand ride. She stopped the clock after six furlongs over the fast Aqueduct inner oval at 1:11.76. [VIDEO]
After the race, Curatolo said, “She improved a little bit more today. The first time I whipped her, she knows she needs to move and she responded more. She did everything great.”
Rudy Rodriguez added, “I’m very, very happy with the way she ran today. Maybe she needed this race. Maybe we haven’t gotten to the bottom of her yet. Hopefully she keeps improving. I don’t know [how good she can be]. We won’t know until somebody gets close to her and we find out what kind of heart she has.” When asked whether she works in company, Rodriguez replied, “Not really. We did in the beginning before she broke her maiden, but they cannot keep up with her. I don’t want her to work fast.”
If all goes well, the long range plan is to point Agave Kiss toward the Grade 1 Prioress (6 furlongs) and Test Stakes (7 furlongs) at Saratoga. In the more immediate future she could appear in the 1-mile Grade 3, $250,000 Comely on the April 7 Wood Memorial undercard.
Agave Kiss burst on the scene with an impressive 6 1/4-length debut victory on the Showcase Day undercard last fall, going six furlongs in 1:09.79 for a Beyer Speed Figure of 90. Six weeks later she demolished a first-level state-bred allowance field, winning under wraps by 10 1/2-lengths, for which she designated a “TDN Rising Star.” Her 3-year-old debut was an effortless 3 1/4 victory in the open Ruthless S. on January 14. Agave Kiss is now a perfect four-for-four with $184,200 in earnings.
The Cicada victory put additional smiles on the face of Flying Zee’s Viane Lizza, who was honored after the first race on the Aqueduct card as leading owner on the NYRA circuit in 2011. Flying Zee led the 2011 NYRA standings with a record of 59-53-51 from 331 starts (17.77 percent winners) and $1,909,625 in earnings.
Bred by Nustar Breeding LLC, Agave Kiss is a daughter of stakes-winner Salty Romance (Salt Lake), purchased by the late Carl Lizza as a two-year-old in training for $320,000 at the 2003 OBS sale. Salty Romance went on to win the Delta Princess S. at two and run second in the Grade 3 Santa Ysabel S. at three, earning $229,200.
Salty Romance, who also produced multiple stakes-placed Luxury Appeal by Johannesburg ($70,960), topped the second phase of Flying Zee dispersal (and the overall sale) at the 2011 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic December mixed sale, when she was purchased in foal to New York sire Cosmonaut by Blue Devil Racing Stable for $260,000.
Salty Romance’s 2010 filly by Lemon Drop Kid, named One Time Only, was the top-seller of the yearling portion of the Flying Zee dispersal at the Fasig-Tipton Fall yearling sale last October, purchased by Glen Hill Farm for $375,000.
