Rice to train for mostly female-owned stable

BALTIMORE – Linda Rice, who will make her Preakness debut Saturday with Federico Tesio Stakes winner Kid Cruz, will train for a new racing syndicate, Lady Sheila Stable Two, it was announced Wednesday.

The stable, which will be managed by Sheila Rosenblum, will “rely significantly on female investors,” according to a press release issued Wednesday. The minimum investment in the stable will be $100,000.

Lady Sheila Stable Two has already begun purchasing 2-year-olds and plans to add four to six horses to the stable through private sales, yearling auctions, and weanling auctions, each with an average purchase price of $200,000. Each membership unit in the stable will cost $100,000, and it is anticipated that there will be no ongoing costs charged for a two-year period, according to the release.

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Late last year, Rosenblum privately purchased the New York-bred filly La Verdad, who has won 4 of 5 subsequent starts, including the Grade 2 Distaff at Aqueduct last month. Rice has trained La Verdad to seven wins from nine career starts.

“Racing is a truly thrilling sport that has provided me with a great deal of personal enjoyment,” Rosenblum said in a release. “I strongly believe that increasing interest in the sport among women is crucial to the long-term vitality of the industry. This new syndicate will provide women with the opportunity to gain exposure and experience in an often male-dominated game.”

Said Rice: “Racing needs more owners who are as determined and resilient as Sheila. We have developed an amazing partnership together that will serve as the foundation for the new syndicate.”