La Verdad still Rice's top candidate for Barbara Fritchie

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – La Verdad came out of her victory in last Saturday’s $100,000 Interborough Stakes in good order, and trainer Linda Rice said Monday she plans on pointing the 6-year-old mare to the $300,000 Barbara Fritchie at Laurel on Feb. 13.

However, Rice is keeping Hot City Girl, La Verdad’s younger half-sister, in the barn as a potential backup for that race. Both horses are owned by Sheila Rosenblum, and both will not run in the Barbara Fritchie.

“I’m going to keep Hot City Girl here another week or so and make sure that’s what I want to do with La Verdad,” Rice said. “If I don’t go that way with La Verdad, I might keep Hot City Girl here and go there with her instead. It’s a big purse, it’s a good race. It usually doesn’t come up the toughest race in the world, and they’re both here and race ready, so I’m going to keep them both here just in case we decide to send La Verdad out early.”

La Verdad is scheduled to be bred to Medaglia d’Oro in February or March.

Rice said Hot City Girl, second in the Grade 1 La Brea at Santa Anita on Dec. 26, is in training at Belmont and will race a full campaign in 2016, eyeing races such as the Ballerina at Saratoga and the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint at Santa Anita in November.

“I’m trying to figure out when the right time is to give Hot City Girl a vacation, but there are significant races coming up,” Rice said.

Hot City Girl is a stakes winner at seven furlongs. Grade 1 races at seven furlongs for fillies and mares include the Madison at Keeneland on April 9 and the Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs on May 7.