La Verdad's first foal 'could get some distance' with Rice training

Royally bred La Kara Mia, who has recorded two breezes at Belmont Park for trainer Linda Rice, is training toward her career debut. The 3-year-old daughter of Medaglia d'Oro is out of 2015 Champion Female Sprinter La Verdad, who also was conditioned by Rice.

 

"She is doing very well,” Rice told the NYRA Press Office. “She's a big filly and we gave her a lot of time to grow up because of her size.

“We just brought her to New York at the beginning of the month. She was training very forwardly in Ocala at Wavertree with Ciaran Dunne. So, we decided to leave her there through November and December and get some workouts down there. She's just recently come here, and it's exciting to have here since he's the first foal out of La Verdad."

Rice said La Kara Mia could have potential to race longer distances than her champion mother.

"She's very kind like La Verdad was, who was an obvious true sprinter," Rice said. "This filly takes after Medaglia d'Oro and looks like a filly that could get some distance which we're excited about. All of the good fillies he's had, like Rachel Alexandra, get a lot of ground so we're excited about that."

La Verdad also did not make her career debut until her sophomore campaign.

"She was big and awkward as a 2-year-old," Rice said of La Verdad. "I didn't bring her along until late in her 2-year-old year."

La Verdad won the Eclipse Award as Champion Female Sprinter for 2015 after a fantastic year in which she won six stakes, four of them graded. In addition to defending her title in the Distaff Handicap (G2), she also captured the Honorable Miss (G2), Gallant Bloom (G2) and Vagrancy (G3). She capped off her season with a runner-up finish in the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint at Keeneland.

In addition to La Kara Mia, La Verdad has a 2-year-old filly by Tapit and a yearling filly by Curlin. She's currently in foal to Into Mischief.