NYRA/Lauren King
Lady Sheila Stable’s star sprinter La Verdad (Yes It’s True) demonstrated that she was classy enough to win outside her comfort zone at Belmont Park on Saturday, lasting the one-mile distance to take the inaugural running of the $200,000 Critical Eye for fillies and mares co-featured on Big Apple Showcase Day with the $200,000 Commentator.
Named for Herbert and Carol Schwartz’s multiple Grade 1 winner, millionaire and dual New York-bred Champion filly Critical Eye, the lucrative one-mile race attracted seven fillies and mares hoping to capitalize on the fact that Grade 2 Distaff winner La Verdad, the 123 pound highweight, had never won beyond six furlongs and had never raced beyond seven.
A confirmed frontrunner to this point in her career, heavily favored La Verdad went to the front once again in the Critical eye, but when joined by Princess Mara, conceded the lead for part of the backstretch run.
Retaking command entering the far turn, La Verdad cruised comfortably into upper stretch on the lead under a motionless Jose Ortiz. Asked for more with three-sixteenths to go, La Verdad mustered the resolve to hold off a threatening-looking bid from runner-up Hot Stones, preserving the victory by a half-length. Lady Gracenote finished third another 5 1/2 lengths back, followed across the wire by Tahoe Tigress, Princess Mara, Miss Da Point, Macha and Carameaway. After a half in 46.14, the final time for the mile over the fast going was 1:34.30. [VIDEO]
Winning jockey Jose Ortiz said, “I knew that [Princess Mara] had speed, so I knew that if she went, I would have to sit behind her because I didn’t want to tire my horse early. She got a little rank, but on the turn I let her run a little bit, and as soon as she got the lead she relaxed very well. I asked her at the three-sixteenths and she responded very well and she kept going. I think this race may have helped her learn how to rate.”
Winning trainer Linda Rice felt the rating trip worked out perfectly. “That was my niece [Taylor Rice] that was in front of us [on Princess Mara],” said Rice. “I knew she was on a horse with speed, and I was a little bit concerned, but Jose [Ortiz] had rated [La Verdad] beautifully in Maryland [when she finished second] in the Barbara Fritchie. They really didn’t have the lead that day, either. He was just trying to save enough horse.”
As to the testing one-mile distance for her filly, Rice said, “She’s truly a sprinter. It’s a little stressful running a filly who is truly a sprinter at a mile, but it was the best option we had. From here on out, I can shorten her up.”
Options for La Verdad at Saratoga Race Course this summer include the 6-furlong Grade 2 Honorable Miss on July 28 and 7-furlong Grade 1 Ballerina on August 23. Said Rice, “Typically, speed does pretty well at Saratoga; I think that will help us with the seven furlongs. She’s a Grade 2 winner right now. If we can make her a Grade 1 winner, that would be a huge asset for her going forward.”
After finishing fourth in her unveiling in March 2013 on the Aqueduct inner, La Verdad has become a proverbial “win machine.” She broke her maiden and won an entry-level state-bred allowance in back-to-back starts in April and May at Aqueduct and Belmont and, following six months off, took three straight races, winning through her second-level open allowance condition before finishing second in her stakes debut in the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie at Laurel. Since the Fritchie she has gone three-for-three, winning a sloppy renewal of the Broadway on March 29 the Grade 2 Distaff on April 19 and the Critical Eye. Now 8-1-0 from 10 starts, La Verdad has earned $546,700.
La Verdad was bred by Eklektikos Stable LLC, who sold her privately to Rosenblum following her second allowance victory last November 7. Foaled at Chester and Mary Broman’s Chestertown farm in Chestertown, she is one of two winners out of Noble Fire (Hook and Ladder), a stakes-placed runner bred by Chester and Mary Broman and also trained by Rice, who purchased her for $115,000 at the 2007 OBS Spring sale of 2-year-olds in training,
Noble Fire is also the dam of speedy Rice-trained Eklektikos homebred gelding N. F’s Destiny (Cuvee), a four-time winner and earner of over $200,000. She currently has a 2-year-old filly by City Zip named Hot City Girl. She was bred to Freud last spring.
Any plans to try ‘ LA VERDAD’ on TURF?