La Verdad has target on her back in Iroquois
A couple of familiar rivals with opposite running styles, the speedy La Verdad and the late-striding Willet, will try to outdo each other once again when they square off at 6 1/2 furlongs in the $150,000 Iroquois Stakes on Empire Showcase Day at Belmont Park on Saturday. The Iroquois is one of two main-track stakes for older fillies and mares on the all-New York-bred card, along with the $250,000 Empire Distaff.
La Verdad is rarely headed early and doesn’t figure to be outrun for the lead in the Iroquois. Willet is at her best when rallying from midpack or beyond and will need a little help with the pace if she’s going to catch La Verdad, something she has not been able to do in their last two meetings.
La Verdad has won her last six starts against statebred competition, with three of those victories coming in stakes. In the Dancing Rene, she outlasted Willet by 1 3/4 lengths going six furlongs July 3. Although she’s won at a mile, trainer Linda Rice said seven furlongs or beyond is a little out of La Verdad’s comfort zone.
“We would have considered running her in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint, even though we’d have had to put up $100,000 to nominate, if the race was at six furlongs this year,” said Rice. “But seven furlongs is probably a little further than she wants to go, so we decided to stay home.”
La Verdad turned in a couple of uncharacteristically poor efforts this summer at Saratoga but got back on track when she returned to Belmont for the Grade 2 Gallant Bloom and finished second by a head to the Breeders’ Cup-bound Artemis Agrotera after leading most of the way.
“It was a tough beat,” said Rice. “She went crazy-fast early but held up well in the stretch, and I was glad to see she’s headed back in the right direction after Saratoga.”
Willet finished third, a length behind La Verdad, in the Gallant Bloom and returns to statebred company for the first time since cruising to a four-length allowance win this summer at Saratoga. She finished second behind the odds-on Cluster of Stars in the 2013 Iroquois.
Key contenders
La Verdad (Last 3 Beyers: 94-84-94)
◗ She had won all three of her previous starts at Belmont Park prior to her second-place finish in the Gallant Bloom.
◗ She has lost three of her four tries at 6 1/2 furlongs or beyond, although she did hang on to win at a mile as the 2-5 favorite in the Critical Eye Stakes this year.
Willet (Last 3 Beyers: 91-86-99)
◗ She has been in the money in seven of eight starts at Belmont, including three victories, but her last local win came in the 7 1/2-furlong Princess Dixie 13 months ago.
Risky Rachel (Last 3 Beyers: 77-89-76)
◗ She makes her first start for trainer George Weaver, who has a 23 percent success rate and a return on investment of $3.48 over the last three years with horses making their first start after switching to his barn, according to DRF Formulator.
Empire Distaff Stakes
Trainer Mitch Friedman will bring a red-hot Carameaway into the 1 1/16-mile Empire Distaff off a pair of victories, including a 3 1/2-length triumph over stablemate Dreaming of Cara in the Saratoga Dew. Carameaway proved that that performance was no fluke when she easily defeated statebred allowance company going a mile at Belmont four weeks later.
“I can’t really pinpoint why she got so good all of a sudden,” said Friedman. “We’ve done nothing different, just all of a sudden I saw a big difference in her. Her last two races have been really solid efforts.”
Friedman also said not to discount Dreaming of Cara in the Empire Distaff, even though she has not won a race since April 2012.
“My other filly is doing better than ever right now, and she’ll be waiting right there to pick up horses at the end,” Friedman said of Dreaming of Cara.
Princess Violet stretches out off an impressive four-length allowance win against open company going six furlongs at Belmont on Oct. 5. Second in the Grade 1 Mother Goose this season, Princess Violet was an easy winner of her last two starts against New York-breds.
Key contenders
Carameaway (Last 3 Beyers: 88-82-52)
◗ She’ll break from the outside in post 11, although Friedman said, “She doesn’t need the lead. She can stalk, and not having anyone breaking outside her will help.”
◗ Irad Ortiz Jr. will replace Rajiv Maragh, who has been her regular rider since March. “Losing Rajiv is my biggest concern because it seemed like he was on the same page with the filly, and I was on the same page with him,” said Friedman.
Princess Violet (Last 3 Beyers: 90-80-80)
◗ She has run 1 1/16 miles just once, when she ran second behind Untapable in the Mother Goose.
Flipcup (Last 3 Beyers: 78-77-76)
◗ She has never finished off the board in 10 starts but must step up her game from a Beyer Speed Figure standpoint to be competitive in the Empire Distaff.