Distaff likely return spot for La Verdad

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – La Verdad, who won the Grade 2 Distaff Handicap and five other races last year, likely will make her 5-year-old debut in next Saturday’s renewal of the $200,000 Distaff, trainer Linda Rice said Friday.

“We are pointing her to the race,” Rice said. “She’s got to get past one more breeze on Monday. If I’m satisfied with the breeze, we could be in the Distaff.”

La Verdad, a New York-bred daughter of Yes It’s True, has not raced since finishing last against males in the Grade 3 Fall Highweight Handicap last Nov. 27. That was her only loss in five starts over Aqueduct’s main track.

Following a vacation, La Verdad has breezed three times, including a five-furlong move in 1:01.60 on April 6.

Rice said the Distaff makes sense in part because there are very few options for La Verdad and the race is at six furlongs, a distance at which she has won eight races from 11 starts.

Meanwhile, Rice said that Princess Violet, who won the Grade 1 Madison Stakes at Keeneland on April 4, is back in New York and will be considered for either the Grade 1 Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs on Kentucky Derby Day or the Grade 2 Ruffian at Belmont on May 9. The Madison was Princess Violet’s first start for Rice. She is owned by Barry Schwartz.

“It was a small field but such a competitive field, and she ran a big race,” said Rice. “I was thrilled. She had a very nice trip. Junior Alvarado rode a great race on her. She looks like she’s at the top of her game right now.”

Rice said that Palace came out of his fifth-place finish in the Grade 1 Carter on April 4 in good shape.

“I attempted to set the bar pretty high for him – a Grade 1 off the layoff,” Rice said. “I think the seven furlongs is a really hard distance off the layoff against that type of company, and it didn’t go as well as we had hoped. We will find another race and hopefully get him back to the winner’s circle soon.”