A summer of near-misses is being put firmly behind Kind Words, with the Kris Lees-trained mare securing consecutive victories by landing the Group 3 Belle Of The Turf Stakes at Gosford.

Despite jumping from gate ten in the 1600-metre feature, Tom Sherry showed early intent aboard the five-year-old, pressing forward before allowing her to find cover midrace.

Forced to travel three-wide, Kind Words ($#) made her move as the field straightened and showed plenty of resolve to edge past Hyperbolic ($#) by a head, with Chica Mojito ($#) finishing close up in third.

The mare handled the step back in trip with no ill effects, maintaining her momentum to the line.

“It was a tough win,” Kris Lees’ stable representative Cameron Swan said.

“Everything worked out as we chanced our arm early and got into a nice spot. She finished it off well.

“Though she was in a nice positive, she lacks that real turn-of-foot over a mile.

“She probably should have won a Queensland Oaks where she had a really torrid run and she went really good so it is good for her to get this group three win. This preparation she has really shown what she’s made of.”

Kind Words arrived at Gosford off a peak Racing and Sports rating performance at Rosehill earlier this month, where she scored over 2000 metres for her first win in more than a year.

The Group 3 success lifted her career tally to four wins and eight minor placings from 27 starts.

It marked Lees’ second victory in the race, while Sherry continued his strong association with the event, recording his third win across the last five runnings.

The Lees stable also continued its strong festive period form, striking at a 32 per cent winning rate from its previous 25 runners.

Punters can find markets for Kind Words’ future targets through the Australian betting sites list.