Agave Kiss Too Fast for Rivals in Cicada

Undefeated Agave Kiss stretched her winning streak to four Saturday afternoon with a front-running, three-length victory over Corderosa in Aqueduct Racetrack’s Grade 3, $150,000 Cicada for 3-year-old fillies.

After a brief tussle for the lead with Alydarla at the start, Agave Kiss quickly cleared the field and rolled through an opening quarter-mile in 23.12 seconds. Widening her advantage as the half went in 46.24, the Lion Heart filly turned for home with her closest rival five lengths back, and was never threatened through the stretch, coming home in 1:11.76 for the six furlongs.

“She improved a little bit more today,” said wining jockey Ryan Curatolo. “She did everything great.”

It was the second straight stakes win, and first in a graded event, for the Flying Zee Racing Stable color-bearer, who captured the $75,000 Ruthless on January 14. In 2011, Agave Kiss won a maiden race at Belmont Park and an allowance at the Big A by a combined margin of 16 ¾ lengths.

“I’m very, very happy with the way she ran today,” said winning trainer Rudy Rodriguez. “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.”

Sent off at 1-4, Agave Kiss returned $2.50 for a $2 win bet and earned $90,000, nearly doubling her bankroll to $184,200. Runner-up Corderosa was 6 ¼ lengths clear of Alydarla, who was followed under the wire by Princess Reyana and Nitara.

Although all four of Agave Kiss’s victories have come at six furlongs, Rodriguez said the Grade 3, $250,000 Comely at a mile, on the undercard of the Grade 1, $1 million Resorts World Casino New York City Wood Memorial on April 7, was under consideration for her next start.

“We’ll see how she comes back, discuss with the owners, and then see what we might do,” said Rodriguez. “If everything goes well, our long-term plan is the Prioress (Grade 1, $300,000, six furlongs, Saratoga Race Course, August 4) and Test (Grade 1, $500,000, seven furlongs, Saratoga, August 25).”