Lady Shelia Stable's La Verdad (Yes It's True) went wire-to-wire to annex her fourth consecutive victory in Saratoga's GII Honorable Miss H. Wednesday. The Empire-bred was sent off as the 6-5 second choice and set the pace along the rail as GI Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint winner and 4-5 pick Judy the Beauty (Ghostzapper) sat unusually close to the pace, right off La Verdad's flank through an opening quarter in :22.47. Judy the Beauty dropped back a bit in the later stages of the backstretch and La Verdad was able to edge two lengths clear into the turn. Judy the Beauty was never able to re-rally, as La Verdad opened up her advantage down the lane and finished up well clear of the late rallying Street Story (Street Cry {Ire}).
“Oh my gosh, what a race! What a competition! What a trainer! What a jockey! What a groom!” said Sheila Rosenblaum, managing partner of Lady Sheila Stable. “She's incredible. La Verdad is some joy!”
Winning pilot Jose Ortiz explained, “She broke great today and she did her job. I was cruising at the quarter pole and I let her run. She did everything very well.”
“Judy the Beauty is a very great horse and intimidating filly,” Linda Rice stated. “Obviously today went very well. I was nervous running against that type of filly. I knew she was going to be a real tough competitor. La Verdad is at her best right now and this is great because we are going into the [GI] Ballerina [S. Aug. 29]. We're going after that elusive Grade I victory.”
Jockey Joel Rosario, who was aboard Judy the Beauty, noted that La Verdad was simply the best on the day.
“She broke sharp and I was following La Verdad,” said Rosario. “On the turn she got away from me a little bit and it was hard for me to stay with her. She ran a nice race. I wish it was a little longer.
She was good. She broke sharp and I didn't want to take anything away from her. She was going nice and easy and the other horse just got away from me.”
La Verdad began last season with a four race winning streak, including a victory in the GII Distaff H. at the Big A. She finished off the board in her two starts at Saratoga in this event last year and in the Ballerina. Her fall campaign consisted of a second in Belmont's GII Gallant Bloom H., a win in the state-bred Iroquois S. and a seventh in the GIII Fall Heightweight H. in the Aqueduct slop. She kicked off this year with three consecutive wins in the GII Distaff H. at Aqueduct Apr. 18, Belmont's GIII Vagrancy H. May 16 and the state-bred Dancin Renee S. in the Belmont slop June 28, earning a 1 3/4 Thoro-graph figure, 1 and a career top 0 1/2, respectively.
Wednesday, Saratoga Race Course
HONORABLE MISS H.-GII, $196,000, SAR, 7-29, 3yo/up, f/m, 6f, 1:09.14, ft.
1–LA VERDAD, 121, m, 5, by Yes It's True
1st Dam: Noble Fire (SP), by Hook and Ladder
2nd Dam: Noble Affair, by Melodisk
3rd Dam: Lady Bluemont, by Noble Title
O-Lady Sheila Stable; B-Eklektikos Stable LLC (NY);
T-Linda Rice; J-Jose L. Ortiz. $120,000. Lifetime
Record: MGSW, 20-14-2-0, $1,170,700. Werk Nick
Rating: A+. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Street Story, 116, f, 4, Street Cry (Ire)–Perfect
Story, by Tale of the Cat. ($155,000 Ylg '12
KEESEP). O-Whispering Oaks Farm LLC; B-John C.
Oxley (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $40,000.
3–Judy the Beauty, 124, m, 6, Ghostzapper–Holy Blitz,
by Holy Bull. ($20,000 Ylg '10 KEESEP). O/T-Wesley
A. Ward; B-Adena Springs (ON). $20,000.
Margins: 4, 3/4, 1 1/4. Odds: 1.30, 5.40, 0.95.
Also Ran: Enchantress, Ultimate Shopper. Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS PPs or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.
Not a subscriber? Click here to sign up for the daily PDF or alerts.
