Dancing Renee: La Verdad 1-5 Favorite
Trainer Linda Rice will send out the highly acclaimed La Verdad and her stakes-winning stablemate, Uncle Southern, in the 47th running of the $100,000 Dancin Renee for New York-bred fillies and mares on Sunday at Belmont Park.
Owned by Lady Sheila Stable, La Verdad is seeking her third straight stakes win of the year. After kicking off 2015 with a 5 ¼-length score in the Grade 2 Distaff Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack, La Verdad dug in gamely to hold off a late challenge by Room for Me to win the Grade 3 Vagrancy Handicap by a half-length on May 16.
La Verdad goes off as the 1-5 favorite with regular rider Jose Ortiz in the saddle. The pair will break from post position 6.
Coming off a four-month layoff, Uncle Southern hopes to redeem herself after a disappointing sixth-place finish where she settled in mid-pack and failed to fire in the stretch in the Broadway Stakes on February 14 at Aqueduct.
Breaking from post 3, the 5-year-old mare will have Luis Saez aboard. Uncle Southern is 15-1 on the morning line.
The Dancin Renee, at six furlongs on the dirt, also attracted Hot Rendezvous for trainer Gary Contessa. The bay daughter of Macho Uno was second-best in her last start on June 4, going 6 ½ furlongs on the dirt in an optional claimer on June 4 at Belmont Park. After breaking slowly, Hot Rendezvous railed three-wide from last to settle for place honors, eight lengths behind Wavell Avenue.
Hot Rendezvous will break from post 5 with Irad Ortiz Jr., aboard. She is 20-1 on the morning line.
Also entered is Miss Da Point. The 5-year old John Toscano trainee comes into the Dancin Renee off a disappointing last-place finish in the Critical Eye Stakes on May 25 atBelmont Park.
At 8-1 on the morning line, Miss Da Point will have Angel Cruz returning in the irons. The pair will break from post position 4.
Rounding out the field are Court Dancer for trainer George Weaver; Here's Zealicious, victorious in an allowance optional claimerMay 17 and Make the Moment, coming off a 2 ½ month layoff for owner and trainer Charlton Baker.
The field for the $100,000 Dancing Renee:
PP | Horse | A/S | Jockey | WGT | Trainer | Odds |
1 | Court Dancer (L) | 4/F | M. Franco | 119 | George Weaver | 8-1 |
2 | Make the Moment (L) | 5/M | T. Rice | 119 | Charlton Baker | 10-1 |
3 | Uncle Southern (L) | 5/M | L. Saez | 123 | Linda Rice | 15-1 |
4 | Miss Da Point (L) | 5/M | A. Cruz | 117 | John Toscano Jr | 8-1 |
5 | Hot Rendezvous (L) | 5/M | I. Ortiz Jr | 117 | Gary Contessa | 20-1 |
6 | La Verdad (S) (L) | 5/M | J. Ortiz | 123 | Linda Rice | 1-5 |
7 | Here's Zealicious | 5/M | A. Arroyo | 117 | Naipaul Chatterpaul | 30-1 |
Source: NYRA Communications