Dan Noble held on for dear life behind Up Front Prayer, who towed the teamster through some wild fractions to take his KYSS assignment. The speedy son of Like A Prayer-Banshee Hall rolled the field through splits of :28, :55.2 and 1:24.3 before finishing off the mile with a :31.2 closing panel for the 1:56 decision. Kibbutz Dream was a distant runner-up and Like A Hush grabbed the show dough.
Jim Arledge, Jr. conditions the gelding for owner Ed Mullinax of Amherst, OH. The victory was the fourth of the season in 11 tries for Up Front Prayer, who went winless in six starts as a rookie. The $150,000 payday lifted his overall earnings to $194,991.