Kathryn the Wise dominates in La Verdad slop

OZONE PARK, N.Y. - The New York-bred Kathryn the Wise was so dominant winning her first three starts by a combined 25 3/4 lengths that she figured to be earmarked for an open-company stakes at some point.

Ankle injuries plagued the daughter of Uncle Mo to the point where she was away from the races for more than 17 months. After two losses in open-company allowance races last fall, it was fair to wonder if Kathryn the Wise would regain her stellar form.

On Saturday, in the slop at Aqueduct, the Kathryn the Wise of old was on display as she splashed her way to a front-running, 10 3/4-length victory under Manny Franco in the La Verdad Stakes.

Taking command soon after the start, Kathryn the Wise maintained a measured one-length lead over Pauseforthecause through fractions of 23.10 seconds for the quarter and 46.74 for the half. Shaken up by Franco in upper stretch, Kathryn the Wise ran away from Pauseforthecause and all the rest to win wrapped up at the wire. Playinwiththeboys, a 22-1 shot, rallied for second by a neck over Pauseforthecause. It was 8 1/2 lengths back to Starlite Mission, who was followed, in order, by Sunset Ridge, Palladian Bridge, Silly Sister, and Byself.

Satisfy, the 5-2 morning-line favorite, and Out of Orbit were scratched.

Kathryn the Wise, a 6-year-old daughter of Uncle Mo owned and bred by Lawrence Goichman and trained by Chad Brown, covered seven furlongs in 1:25.22 over a sealed, sloppy track and returned $5.40 as the favorite.

“I wanted to come out of there good and put her on the lead,” Franco said. “I spoke to Chad and he told me to go for it and that’s what I did and she was so comfortable in front. I hit her one time and she just took off.”

The win was reminiscent of Kathryn the Wise’s first three starts, which included a 12-length allowance win and an 8 1/4-length victory in the Critical Eye Stakes on May 29, 2017 at Belmont Park.

Later that summer, Kathryn the Wise was sidelined with the first of what would be two issues with ankle chips. When she did return, she finished fourth and then second in open-company allowance races.

“In my opinion there’s always concern when they come back, you want to shake the cobwebs off, especially with a filly like her that’s had multiple things, and get through those first couple of races,” said Whit Beckman, assistant to Brown. “It seems like she’s found what she had at one point.”

A performance like that could set Kathryn the Wise up for a race like the Grade 3, $250,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap at Laurel Park on Feb. 16.