Aqueduct: La Verdad lands in tougher spot
La Verdad, who had a cushy spot against New York-breds wiped out by Mother Nature two weeks ago, resurfaces against open company in Friday’s $64,000 feature at Aqueduct.
The six-furlong sprint carries second-level allowance conditions and also is open to $50,000 claimers. It attracted six fillies and mares, with La Verdad likely to go favored in search of a fifth straight victory.
La Verdad’s four wins have come by combined margins of more than 23 lengths. After ripping through her statebred conditions while never headed, the 4-year-old La Verdad showed a new dimension most recently, when she relinquished the lead around the turn and came again to beat open company Dec. 19 as trainer Linda Rice’s 100th winner of 2013.
La Verdad would have been a prohibitive choice in the canceled $75,000 Lapis overnight stakes Jan. 3, but now has a pair of legitimate opponents in Laguna Girl and Masasi, who finished a neck apart when they clashed on the main track during the fall.
The speedy Laguna Girl has led after a half-mile in four of her last five outings, capped by a front-running upset at 10-1 in the Are We Dreamin overnight stakes first time on the inner dirt.
Laguna Girl earned a career-best 88 Beyer Speed Figure for that effort and was the first stakes winner for Manuel Franco, an Eclipse Award finalist for top apprentice who on Monday won for the first time as a journeyman.
Masasi has never been out of the money through seven starts on dirt for trainer David Donk. She posted a maiden win with a sharp 92 Beyer second time back from a layoff at Belmont and then finished determinedly to run down Laguna Girl in an optional-claiming event here.
Long River heads Evening Attire
Kiaran McLaughlin, who started off 2014 by winning with 5 of his first 13 starters, including Sunday’s Ruthless Stakes with Mamdooha, sends out Long River as the morning-line favorite in Saturday’s $100,000 Evening Attire.
The 1 1/16-mile Evening Attire is the first stakes of the season in New York for older males.
Long River, a late-blooming 4-year-old by A.P. Indy, drew the rail for his first assignment against older stakes foes and is the slight 5-2 choice over Saratoga Snacks, who was scratched from the recent Alex M. Robb due to a foot issue.
Other contenders in a competitive field of eight include Jonesy Boy, Don Dulce, and Percussion, the 1-2-4 finishers in the Dec. 14 Queens County; and Cease, who earned a 101 Beyer winning an optional claimer for David Jacobson last time out.
“The way [Cease] is right now, they’ll have to do some running to catch him,” Jacobson said.
The improving Cougar Ridge and 50-1 longshot In the Beat also entered.