NYRA/Chelsea Durand
by Sarah Mace
Relatively ignored at 9-1 odds, Sheriffa, a 4-year old daughter of top New York sire Posse (Rockridge Stud), overwhelmed her competition with a frontrunning victory in the one-mile $200,000 Critical Eye Stakes for fillies and mares, the final stakes race on Belmont Park’s Memorial Day Big Apple Showcase card.
Off the board in her only prior stakes try, when she wrapped up her three-race juvenile campaign in 2013 with a division of the New York Stallion Series at Aqueduct, Sheriffa has been an extremely consistent runner, finishing in the money in nine out of 15 starts with four victories. Last September she was claimed for $16,000 out of a winning effort in a Belmont sprint by trainer Linda Rice for Antonino Miuccio, the owner of Rice-trained Palace. In Rice’s care the filly has transitioned from a sprinter to a router.
Said Rice, who won last year’s inaugural running of the Critical Eye with La Verdad, “She’s really trained well, and really likes this distance. When I claimed her she was running short, certainly worth $16,000, but it’s really been the switch to route racing that’s really made the difference for her.” In six subsequent starts Sheriffa compiled a record of two wins, two seconds and third and a fourth.
Last seen finishing second in an open allowance race at 1 1/16 miles under Cornelio Velasquez, Rice thought the Sheriffa lost her best chance before the start. “She was acting up in the starting gate last time,” Rice said. Cornelio [Velasquez] told me he thought she should have won the race. She broke poorly, had stumbled away from there, so we spent a lot of time schooling her at the gate since then and in the paddock. She’s a high strung, high energy horse, and I think we had her nerves under control today.”
Partnered with Jose Ortiz for the Critical Eye and breaking from mid-pack in the field of 10, Sheriffa got out of the gate alertly and hooked up briefly with Carameaway. Shrugging off that rival through the first quarter-mile in 22.99, she continued unchallenged through a half in 45.77.
Extending her advantage to two, then three, then four, lengths through the turn, Sheriffa hit the head of the stretch completely in control after six furlongs in 1:10.25, at one point leading by as many as seven lengths. In the final furlong Saythreehailmary’s eroded her lead with a strong late move, but to no avail. Sheriffa kept her mind on business and achieved the victory by 2 1/4 lengths, completing one mile in 1:37.32. Saythreehailmary’s finished second, 2 3/4 lengths ahead of 14-1 closer Easy Living. [VIDEO]
Ortiz said, “The 10 horse [Carameaway] has a little bit of speed, but my filly’s best races are on the lead. I thought that if I broke well and decided to go, I would go. And my filly broke perfect and I sent her to the lead. We went a little fast but she held on. Linda has done a tremendous job with her.”
Bred by Colts Neck Stables LLC and foaled at Vinery New York in Hudson, Sheriffa is one of two winners produced by Smileforamile, a winning Virginia-bred daughter of Unbridled’s Song. Her filly by Orientate, Love Your Smile, has won seven races and earned nearly $200,000 sprinting.
Sheriffa’s record now stands at 5-3-5 from 16 starts with $339,500 in earnings.
