Miss Narcissist outduels Hey Kiddo for Fifth Avenue score

by Sarah Mace

Miss Narcissist (Freud[2]) got up in the final strides to score a narrow victory over tenacious rival Hey Kiddo (Stonesider[3]) in the $125,000 Fifth Avenue, the six-furlong 2-year-old fillies division of the four New York Stallion Stakes Series races run Saturday at Aqueduct.

Looking for her third straight victory and second stakes tally after winning the Joseph A. Gimma on Empire Showcase Day at Belmont Park, odds-on favorite Miss Narcissist was first out of the gate from post five (of seven).

Barreling along the backstretch in the two-path, Miss Narcissist was soon joined by Hey Kiddo up on the pace to her inside, who grabbed a narrow advantage and began a pitched battle that lasted all the way to the wire.

Miss Narcissist refused to let her rival gain much ground, but, reluctant to change leads, made up very little ground of her own. Steadily closing the gap on Hey Kiddo, Miss Narcissist lunged ahead in the final strides to get the victory by a head. Hey Kiddo finished 1 1/2 lengths clear of Champagne Ruby (Utopia) in third, followed across the line by Skye Saratoga, Sheriffa, Selenite and Missy Bay. After a half-mile run in a solid 47.03, the final time for six furlongs over the fast Aqueduct main track was 1:11.60.

Junior Alvarado, who piloted Miss Narcissist to victory said, “Turning for home, I tried a couple of times to make her switch leads, and she did not want to have anything to with that. So, I just kept going with her and I would say she won because she was pretty much the class of the race. I’m sure if she would have switched leads, she would have given me a better kick at the end.”

Trainer Linda, Rice, who owns Miss Narcissist in partnership with Acqua Nova Stable and Winter Park Partners, elaborated. “She has had a little bit of an issue that she wouldn’t switch leads. She finds another gear once she switches. I’ve had Junior breeze her in the morning and we’ve discussed how to get her to switch, and she has to be in hand. In some ways, we think she might actually be better off going further.”

A bay daughter of Freud, the talented Miss Narcissist has been something of a challenge to bring along a two. Unusually fractious in her off-the board debut at Saratoga on August 8, she has raced greenly at times in her three subsequent starts, but won all three, breaking her maiden later on at the Saratoga meet with blinkers added and taking the Gimma by over five lengths on Showcase Day. Rice said that Miss Narcissist will probably start next in the East View Stakes for state-breds, which will be run at one mile and 70 yards on December 15 at Aqueduct.

Miss Narcissist, who has now earned $224,100, was bred by Tony Grey and foaled at Keane Stud[5] in Amenia. After failing to meet her reserve at the 2012 Saratoga New York-bred preferred yearling sale when bid up to $47,000, Miss Narcissist brought $97,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale this past May when purchased by Stephen Di Mauro.

Miss Narcissist is one of two winners out of Mighty Good, a four-time winner by Good and Tough ($86,863) bred in New York Thomas/Lakin. Her 4-year-old brother half-brother Ludo Bagman (Closing Argument) has banked nearly $100,000.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2013/11/23/miss-narcissist-fifth-avenue/

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