Miss Leslie finished her 2021 campaign on Dec. 26 at Laurel Park with a convincing victory in the $100,000 Carousel S., the third straight win for the 3-year-old Paynter filly.
The dark bay now has four lifetime stakes victories and has earned $385,650 for her owner BB Horses. Miss Leslie is one of eight stakes winners for her top-10 sire, whose 5-year-old son Knicks Go is almost certain to be named Horse of the Year following his dynamic Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) victory.
Miss Leslie ended the year on a high note with the Carousel victory, coming just six weeks after she won the $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go S. over the same track. As she was in the Thirty Eight Go Go, Miss Leslie set well off the early pace, running seventh of eight after a half-mile in :49.11.
Jockey Angel Cruz gave Miss Leslie her cue leaving the backstretch and she quickly began to roll while in the clear on the outside, reeling in leader Artful Splatter at the top of the stretch. She didn’t let up in the lane, drawing off impressively to win by nearly four lengths.
“I felt really comfortable because we worked her last week and she worked really good,” Cruz said. “Today, every horse was coming from off the pace and my filly comes from off of it. It played out really well.”
Maxis Stable bred Miss Leslie in Kentucky. Her dam Zeenut also produced the stakes performer Zyxyz.
