La Verdad takes the G3 Vagrancy PHOTO/ADAM COGLIANESE/JOE LABOZZETTA

ELMONT, N.Y. – Following a successful start to the year winning the Grade 2 Distaff Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack on April 18, Lady Shelia Stable’s La Verdad built on that performance by taking the Grade 3, $150,000 Vagrancy Handicap at Belmont Park on Saturday.

Trained by Linda Rice, the 5-year-old New York-bred mare entered the Vagrancy with a stellar record of four victories from five starts at Belmont with a lone second-place finish. Leaving the gate as the 3-5 post-time favorite, La Verdad, under jockey Jose Ortiz, broke sharply and absorbed an early challenge from Frivolity to lead the field of five through comfortable early fractions of 22.43 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 45.36 seconds for the half.

At the eighth-pole, 7-5 second-choice Room For Me made her move toward the lead, but La Verdad repulsed her bid under hand urging and won by a half-length.

“I wasn’t expecting [Frivolity] to come after me early,” said jockey Jose Ortiz. “She [La Verdad] handled it well. When [Room For Me] came up to me in the stretch, she was coming at the same pace, but my filly was never going to let her by.”

Rice was satisfied with the performance, as the race put La Verdad one step closer to the goal of winning a Grade 1 race later this year.

“The four horse [Room For Me] had been running some real crazy numbers the last two races, so I knew was a formidable foe, but she [La Verdad] managed to get through it again,” said Rice. “She’s pretty tough herself. Ideally, we’re looking for a Grade1 at Saratoga somewhere down the line, but hopefully we’ll just keep winning races.”

Completing the 6 ½ furlongs in 1:16.17, La Verdad returned $3.40 for a $2 win wager while increasing her career earnings to $990,700.

“My horse is fantastic, what can I say?” said Rosenblum, majority owner of Lady Shelia Stable. “She’s proven herself over and over. We gave her a big break, a well-deserved break. She came back and it was tough. We had some fabulous horses against us, and we were very, very worried about the speed horse [Room for Me]. She proved herself once again.”

Following Room For Me in second were Mamdooha, Sustainable, and Frivolity.

Original Article – https://www.nyra.com/belmont/la-verdad-strolls-to-victory-in-g3-vagrancy/