Mrs. Orb tries to add La Verdad before sale

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Mrs. Orb is cataloged to be sold Jan. 11 at the Keeneland horses of all ages sale. Before she enters the sales ring, her connections hope the 6-year-old mare can make one more visit to the winner’s circle in Sunday’s $100,000 La Verdad Stakes for New York-bred fillies and mares at Aqueduct.

In 2019, Mrs. Orb went 5 for 9, including a victory in the Bay Ridge Stakes. In 2020, Mrs. Orb went winless in six starts, but finished second in five consecutive stakes including a half-length loss to Lucky Move in the Bay Ridge.

Sunday, Mrs. Orb cuts back from 1 1/8 miles to seven furlongs, a distance at which she finished second to Newly Minted in the Union Avenue Stakes last summer at Saratoga.

“It looked like it’s a tougher race this time, it looks like there’s a couple in there that can run,” said Mike Miceli, trainer of Mrs. Orb. “She always tries hard. I’m hoping she’ll automatically have a target to run at with the speed in there hopefully.”

Dylan Davis rides Mrs. Orb from post 5.

Sharp Starr enters the La Verdad off a neck victory in a weak renewal of the Grade 3 Go for Wand on Dec. 5. That race came after Sharp Starr romped to a 15 3/4-length victory in a New York-bred allowance. Both of those races were run at a one-turn mile.

“I definitely think she’s maturing,” said Horacio DePaz, trainer of Sharp Starr. “Off that big effort the time before you were hoping she would not flatten out, and she was able to get enough done to win the race. Hopefully, she’ll do the same.”

Sharp Starr is the 124-pound co-highweight along with Espresso Shot, who is coming off a victory in the Staten Island division of the New York Stallion Series going this seven-furlong distance Nov. 22. Espresso Shot has proven to be more effective when put into the race early. She found that style to be effective when sitting just off Sadie Lady, who came back to win an open-company allowance race Dec. 18 and is entered back in this spot.

Prairie Fire, who was second to Espresso Shot in the Staten Island, came out of that race to win a first-level allowance going six furlongs in the slop Dec. 5. She goes out Sunday for trainer Linda Rice, who also trained La Verdad, the champion female sprinter of 2015.

“She had a couple of races where she didn’t get the right trip, but all in all she seems to be consistently improving,” Rice said.

Rice said “stalking off a fast pace would be her best trip.”

Prairie Fire breaks from post 4 under Jose Lezcano.

Timely Tradition, third in the Iroquois two back, is back in with New York-breds after finishing sixth in the Primonetta Stakes on Nov. 28 at Laurel Park. She did win an open-company allowance going seven furlongs on Sept. 5 at Saratoga.