La Verdad repeats in Distaff romp

Lady Sheila Stable's La Verdad (Yes It's True) returned to her winning ways

in stellar fashion on Saturday at Aqueduct, wiring the $190,000

Distaff H. (G2) to defend her title in the race by 5 1/4 lengths. Jockey

Jose Ortiz has been exclusively aboard the Linda Rice trainee since she began

her career in March 2013, and guided her in the Distaff to finish six furlongs

in 1:10 over the fast main track.

The race really came down to second as La Verdad established splits of :22

1/5, :44 4/5 and :56 4/5 while loping along on the lead in front of her three

rivals. Frivolity (Corinthian) and Mamdooha (Daaher) duked it out behind her for

the runner-up spot, with the former taking second-place honors by a neck on the

wire. Aireofdistinction (Songandaprayer) blew the turn badly and found herself

running near the grandstand rail before finishing fourth and last, 10 1/4

lengths behind Mamdooha.

La Verdad paid $2.60 as the prohibitive 1-4 favorite after show wagering was

canceled. The bay mare was making her five-year-old bow in this spot, having

closed out 2014 with an uncharacteristic seventh in the Fall Highweight H. (G3)

against the boys. Prior to that she captured the Iroquois S. and just missed by

a head when second in the Gallant Bloom H. (G2), both at Belmont Park.

La Verdad was fifth in the Ballerina S. (G1) and Honorable Miss H. (G2) last

summer at Saratoga, which snapped a four-race win streak comprised of the

Distaff 'Cap, Broadway S., Critical Eye S. and Dancin Renee S. She had a

five-race winning skein broken when second while making her stakes bow in the

Barbara Fritchie H. (G2) in February 2014, and now boasts a 17-11-2-0 career

mark to go along with $900,700 in lifetime earnings.