La Verdad hoofs it in Dancin Renee, cracks $1 million earnings mark

by Sarah Mace

Linda Rice spotted Lady Sheila Stable’s La Verdad in Belmont’s $100,000 Dancin Renee for New York-bred fillies and mares Sunday to give her multiple graded stakes winner a strong foundation heading into the Saratoga meet and, with any luck, an easy victory. The conditioner got everything she wanted from the “prep.” The 5-year-old mare hoofed it to a 7 1/4-length victory in the slop for a third win in as many starts this year and pushed her earnings beyond the million dollar threshold.

Drawn in post six to go six furlongs over the sloppy (sealed) Belmont main track, La Verdad was slated to pay ten cents on the dollar, as she looked for her second consecutive victory in the Dancin Renee.

After the break, she wasted no time – just a dozen strides or so – in asserting her command of the field, confidently in front by the completion of the first quarter-mile in 22.91.

Unchallenged through a 45.85 half-mile, and leading by three lengths at the quarter pole, the bay mare opened up at will in the stretch to win by seven-plus lengths victory in a final time of 1:10.27 under a hand ride, leaving the rest to fight it out for the minor awards. Make the Moment got second by a neck over Miss Da Point. Here’s Zealicious finished fourth, followed across the line by Hot Rendezvous, Court Dancer and Uncle Southern. [VIDEO[2]]

Regular rider Jose Ortiz, who gave his mount’s mane a stroke at the wire, said, “She broke well and I just went out there and she did what she needed to do. She handles a sloppy track great all the time, so I’m very happy with her. Linda bought her in at 100 percent and I want to thank all the connections for giving me the opportunity to ride this horse.” La Verdad has won six of eight starts over off-going.

Linda Rice talked about the impact of the victory on Spa plans. “I was happy she won as easily as she did because, frankly, this is a race we were just trying to use to get her to Saratoga in better condition than we were last year, going toward the Honorable Miss [Grade 2, $200,000, July 29] and hopefully the Ballerina [Grade 1, $500,000, August 29].”

Last year La Verdad finished fifth in both races, mired down inside in a sloppy running of the Honorable Miss and fading after setting the early fractions in the Ballerina.

Rice continued, “We didn’t want it to be a hard race on her, and elected to stay here rather than go to the [Grade 2] Princess Rooney [at Gulfstream]. We had also considered running her in the [Bed o’ Roses], but in her last race she had worked pretty hard to keep [Bed o’ Roses entrant] Room for Me at bay. [The Bed o’ Roses] was a pretty strong race, so I’m really glad we’re going to Saratoga off an easy effort.”

A winner of eight stakes races, and owner of a 13-2-0 record in 19 starts, La Verdad became the latest New York-bred to cross the million dollar threshold in earnings with $1,050,700. She has capped New York-bred stakes victories in the Critical Eye, Iroquois, Broadway and Dancin Rene (twice) with two wins in the Grade 2 Distaff Handicap and, last out on May 16, the Grade 3 Vagrancy Handicap.

Bred by Eklektikos Stable LLC and foaled at Chester and Mary Broman’s Chestertown farm in Chestertown. La Verdad was purchased privately by (Lady) Sheila Rosenblum following her second allowance victory in November 2013.

She is one of three winners and two stakes performers out of Noble Fire (Hook and Ladder), a stakes-placed runner bred by Chester and Mary Broman also trained by Rice. Rice bought Noble Fire for Eklektikos for $115,000 at the 2007 OBS Spring sale of 2-year-olds in training. Noble Fire’s two other winners, are N. F’s Destiny (Cuvee), an eight-time winner of over $335,000 and Lady Sheila Stable’s stakes-placed six-figure earner Hot City Girl (City Zip). The mare currently has a yearling filly by Freud.

Source URL: https://www.nytbreeders.org/news/2015/06/28/la-verdad-dancin-renee-15/

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