Kiss And Spin ages like a fine wine

By Alex Nolan

Just a couple of months ago, Kiss And Spin was showing signs that had her trainer Jeff Crawford contemplating retirement for the one-time Flying Amy Classic winner.

However, back-to-back wins at Albion Park in February quickly put paid to those plans for now, and just two starts after contesting a Masters Fifth Grade, Kiss And Spin finds herself back in Best 8 company at Ipswich on Thursday.

The daughter of Kc And All made up for a luckless second at Albion Park on February 10 with a dominant 3.25L win over 520m in 29.78 seconds on February 17.

She proved it was no fluke at her following start when she recorded 29.92 and beat home Showdown to win a Mixed ¾ Grade at ‘The Creek’ a week later.

Crawford said it could be argued the rising four-year-old is in career-best form.

“She’s going as good as she’s ever gone, to be honest and the times suggest that,” he said.

“I was pretty confident before her last win because she’d only drawn Box 1 once prior and that was when she won the Flying Amy.

“She’s come up again with the cherry tomorrow but she did trial ordinarily up there last Friday … but I expect she’ll approve off that again on Thursday.”

He is also wary that she’ll be facing unfamiliar surroundings when she lines up from Box 1 in the ninth event at the Showgrounds.

Kiss And Spin’s has started just twice in a race at Ipswich, her latest outing in October 2020.

And she hasn’t found an easy affair, with the likes of Extra Malt, Pokie Payout and progressive chaser Power Moves engaged.

“Her biggest hurdle is going to a track she’s not used to and going well there,” Crawford said. 

“She’s a very timid dog who doesn’t like people around her and doesn’t like change.  

“But she appreciates knowing she’s in a race and why she’s there.

“In her trial she went down the back in 13.50 and she should really be going 13.10.

“But she did hit the line strong … once she got into her work she was okay.

“I expect her to improve but she’ll need to.”

Crawford had contemplated stepping Kiss And Spin up to 600m at Albion Park with a view to progressing through the grades and then retirement.

However, while racing in her current vein of form, he now has an eye on the BGRC 50^th Anniversary Cup worth $50,000 scheduled for Albion Park on April 14.

The Buccan trainer said he escaped the worst of South East Queensland’s recent rainfall, but still managed to get his ride-on mower and then his 4WD bogged on his rain-soaked property this week.

He might cop a bit of grief from his fellow trainers over that one, but not as much as he’s copping for receiving a decent stroke of luck ahead of the Ipswich meeting.

“I’ve got three dogs in and they’ve all drawn Box 1 … that doesn’t happen too often,” Crawford said.

 Smoking Jane (race one) and Bonomel (11) will both exit the cherry at the Ipswich meeting.