La Verdad game runner-up after pacesetting effort in Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie

by Sarah Mace

Making her stakes debut and first start outside New York in the rescheduled Grade 2, $300,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap on Saturday at Laurel Park, La Verdad (Yes It’s True) set the pace and proved tenacious in the stretch before being passed late by My Wandy’s Girl.

Trained for Sheila Rosenblum’s Lady Sheila Stable by Linda Rice and partnered with regular rider Jose Ortiz, who travelled to Laurel for the mount, La Verdad was well-supported for the Barbara Fritchie, bet down to 2-1 second choice on the strength of five straight open-length victories dating back to April of last year. Having made all six prior career starts at six furlongs, La Verdad not only faced a class, but a distance test, stretching out to seven furlongs for the first time.

After the bell La Verdad pursued her typical frontrunning tactics and shot straight to the lead, while Mike Hushion-trained My Wandy’s Girl (5-2), second in the Barbara Fritchie last year, went right along with her up on the pace.

Racing a half-length apart for the length of the backstretch, La Verdad and My Wandy’s Girl opened up three lengths on favorite Centrique, who led the second flight. In the far turn Centrique closed ground and the trio lined up across the track.

La Verdad fanned wide in the turn but all the competition was still to her outside. When the three horses were set down for the drive, La Verdad hung in gamely, but My Wandy’s Girl, racing between horses, proved best late, securing the victory by a length. After La Verdad set testing fractions of 22.95, 45.64 and 1:10.59, the final time for the seven panels over the fast Laurel track was 1:23.79.

Jockey Jose Ortiz reported, “[La Verdad] broke good and took the lead like normal but the four [My Wandy’s Girl] was breathing one lane behind me all the way. My filly missed a couple days training and was stretching out a little at seven furlongs.”

Trainer Linda Rice added, “It’s a big step up in competition but I have a terrific filly and it was a disappointment. She hung in and considering this was her first time out of town, her first stakes race and the fact she didn’t get to train much the last three weeks with the weather in New York, she did very well.”

Following a fourth-place finish in her unveiling last March on the Aqueduct inner, 4-year-old La Verdad came into the Barbara Fritchie with an unblemished record as she broke her maiden and marched through her state-bred and open first- and second-level allowance conditions between last April and January 17, including a break from early May to early November. With a record of 5-1-0 in seven races, La Verdad has now earned $246,700.

Bred by Eklektikos Stable LLC and foaled at Chester and Mary Broman’s Chestertown farm in Chestertown, La Verdad 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 Linda Rice ($67,000)

Noble Fire, who was purchased by Rice as agent for $115,000 at the 2007 OBS Spring sale of 2-year-olds in training, is also the dam of speedy Rice-trained Eklektikos homebred N. F’s Destiny (Cuvee).

Noble Fire currently has a 2-year-old filly by City Zip and was bred to Freud last spring.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2014/02/22/la-verdad-barbara-fritchie/

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