La Verdad Cruises in Honorable Miss

Lady Shelia Stable's La Verdad took the lead and never looked back July 29 in the $200,000 Honorable Miss Handicap (gr. II) at Saratoga Race Course, cruising gate to wire by four lengths to preserve her perfect record this season.

The 5-year-old New York-bred daughter of Yes It's True   is four for four in 2015, having won the June 28 Dancin Rene Stakes and May 16 Vagrancy Handicap (gr. III), both at Belmont Park, after starting her campaign for trainer Linda Rice this year with a victory in the April 18 Distaff Handicap (gr. II) at Aqueduct Racetrack. 

Last year she finished a lackluster fifth of sixth while favored in the Honorable Miss, but this time as the 6-5 second choice behind champion Judy the Beauty, La Verdad was ready to rumble. She showed the way under jockey Jose Ortiz through the six-furlong test with fractions of :22.47 and :45.03 through a half-mile, then opened up through five-eighths in :56.66 en route to a final time of 1:09.14 on a fast track.

"She broke great today and she did her job," said Ortiz. "I was cruising at the quarter pole and I let her run. She did everything very well."

Judy the Beauty, favored at odds of 4-5 in the field of five fillies and mares, finished third under jockey Joel Rosario after tracking the pacesetting winner early. She was edged for second by three-quarters of a length by 5-1 Street Story.

"She broke sharp and I was following La Verdad," Rosario said. "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 paid $4.60, $2.70, and $2.10, while Street Story brought $4.30 and $2.10, with Judy the Beauty delivering $2.10. Enchantress and Ultimate Shopper completed the order of finish.

Bred by Eklektikos Stable out of the Hook and Ladder mare Noble Fire, La Verdad improved her record to 14 wins and 2 seconds from 20 starts for earnings of $1,170,700. With their initial goal of winning a graded stakes race at Saratoga now complete, Rice is now looking forward to entering the filly in the Aug. 29 Ballerina (gr. I) there.

"Judy the Beauty is a very great horse and intimidating filly. Obviously today went very well," said Rice. "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 Ballerina. We're going after that elusive grade I victory."