La Verdad digs in to win Vagrancy

Breaking cleanly from the rail, La Verdad quickly sped clear to set manageable fractions and dug in through the final yards to lead Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Vagrancy Handicap from start to finish.

La Verdad ($3.40) felt pressure from Frivolity – one of two David Jacobson-trained mares in the field – through fractions of 22.43 and 45.36 seconds and, after dispatching that one, was immediately set upon by Room for Me, Jacobson’s other runner and the 7-5 second choice.

La Verdad drifted out late but dug in gamely beneath Jose Ortiz to prevail by a long neck after 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:16.17 on a fast main track. Room for Me was clearly second-best by seven lengths over Mamdooha, as Sustainable and Frivolity completed the order of finish.

“I wasn’t expecting [Frivolity] to come after me early, but [La Verdad] handled it well,” said Ortiz. “When [Room for Me] came up to me in the stretch, she was coming at the same pace, but my filly was never going to let her by.”

La Verdad, who carried the top weight of 121 pounds and conceded five pounds to Room for Me, earned $90,000, leaving her just shy of the $1 million mark at $990,700. She has won 12 of 18 starts overall for trainer Linda Rice and upped her record at Belmont to 5-1-0 from six starts, the lone defeat by a head to dual Grade 1 winner Artemis Agrotera in the Gallant Bloom last fall.

“The 4 horse [Room for Me] had been running some real crazy numbers the last two races, so I knew she was a formidable foe, but [La Verdad] managed to get through it again. She’s pretty tough herself. Ideally, we’re looking for a Grade 1 at Saratoga somewhere down the line, but hopefully we’ll just keep winning races.”