Half to Verrazano seeks to pair up wins against older rivals

La Madrina, a homebred 3-year-old filly who has impressed by winning 2 of 3 starts for Shug McGaughey, takes on five older rivals in Wednesday’s third race, an optional claimer with second-level allowance conditions that is the richest event on the card.

Unveiled at Gulfstream Park in March, La Madrina, who is a half-sister to 2013 Haskell Invitational and Wood Memorial winner Verrazano, came from 10 lengths behind to win her debut by better than six lengths.

In a preliminary allowance seven weeks later at Belmont, the gray filly may have been closer to the early pace than she prefers and settled for third as the even-money favorite. However, she quickly made amends at Saratoga on July 30, overcoming a long delay in the paddock to prevail by a half-length.

“She handled it really, really well,” said McGaughey, referring to an incident involving the ill-fated Lavender Road after the preceding race that kept her in the paddock fully tacked up for nearly an hour. “[The stretch run] tightened her up a lot physically. I was pleased with everything I saw.”

La Madrina faces a stiffer test moving to the next level, and she has virtually no margin for error in a spot where four rivals have posted peak Beyer Speed Figures in the same range this season, including Charlie Baker’s entry of Make the Moment and Expression.

Expression banked almost $200,000 last year and makes her first start since finishing a tough-trip fifth in the Correction Stakes in February.

Evening Show returned from a layoff to run well twice at Saratoga for new trainer Steve Klesaris and may be sitting on a big effort third time back.

Courtesy of Raglin River ($112) in Sunday’s seventh race, there is a $37,032 pick six carryover on races 4 through 9. Two “buried” legs in the difficult sequence are for maiden 2-year-olds in races 6 and 9.

KEY CONTENDERS

La Madrina (Last 3 Beyers: 82-80-82)

◗ In addition to Verrazano, her dam, Enchanted Rock, has also produced El Padrino, the winner of the Grade 2 Risen Star at 3.

Expression (Last 3 Beyers: 80-76-79)

◗ Although all six of her victories have come at Aqueduct, including five on the inner dirt, she ran a lifetime-best Beyer of 85 at Belmont when a close second in an overnight stakes in 2013.

Evening Show (Last 3 Beyers: 79-82-77)

◗ She won her first three starts in 2013 by a combined 35 lengths but has since dropped seven straight.