Argentina’s Sarawak Rim: Nacho Correas’s Dream and Final Chapter

The Argentine trainer will retire after saddling the daughter of Remote in the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff, a race he already won with Blue Prize in 2019

Sarawak Rim Galloping During the Week—The Hope of Correas and Everyone Around Him / BREEDERS' CUP

By Diego H. Mitagstein (Special Correspondent for Turf Diario at Del Mar, California)

DEL MAR, California — Del Mar will host one of the most iconic races of the Breeders’ Cup this Saturday: the GI Breeders’ Cup Distaff (1800 m, dirt), a contest that has long held deep Argentine and South American significance. This year’s edition will be particularly special, marking the retirement of trainer Ignacio Correas (IV).

His final runner, Sarawak Rim (Remote), will attempt to leave her mark and deliver a golden farewell to her trainer’s distinguished career. Argentina knows the taste of glory in this race—Bayakoa (Consultant’s Bid) won it twice, Paseana(Ahmad) added a third, and Blue Prize (Pure Prize), also trained by Correas, captured the 2019 edition. Now, Sarawak Rim will try to join that illustrious list of champions, giving the colors of Haras Firmamento, in partnership with Stud Los Melli, their Breeders’ Cup debut.

The race will miss some big names, including defending champion and 2024 Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna), recently retired, as well as Scottish Lassie (McKinzie), a top-level G1-winning filly.

Leading the market at 9-5 in the morning line is Seismic Beauty (Uncle Mo), trained by Bob Baffert, who enters on a three-race winning streak that includes the GII Santa Margarita Stakes and the GI Clement L. Hirsch Stakes.

Other key contenders include Nitrogen (Medaglia d’Oro), a multiple graded winner who was a narrow second in the GI Spinster Stakes; Dorth Vader (Girvin), who pushed Thorpedo Anna to the limit in the GI Personal Ensign Stakes; and Clicquot (Quality Road), riding a four-race winning streak highlighted by the GI Cotillion Stakes.

For Sarawak Rim, the moment carries layers of meaning—history, talent, and emotion. She will be Correas’s final Breeders’ Cup runner, and her mission is to keep Argentina’s proud tradition alive in the Distaff. Making her U.S. debut after winning the GI Gran Premio Criadores in Palermo, she represents both a challenge and a celebration.

Saturday at Del Mar will be charged with emotion. As Seismic Beauty and her rivals vie for divisional supremacy, Sarawak Rim and Ignacio Correas will be chasing something deeper—a glorious farewell to a career that has carried Argentina’s banner with dignity, passion, and lasting impact on the world stage.