Ayra Stark runs in the Christophe Clement, where Jorge Ruiz Díaz will ride the favorite

The daughter of Cosmic Trigger will be part of the spectacular card this Saturday at Gulfstream Park, with the Pegasus World Cup (G1) as the main attraction

Ayra Stark winning on the Keeneland turf / KEENELAND

HALLANDALE BEACH, Florida (Special for Turf Diario).— Saturday’s card at Gulfstream Park will offer plenty of reasons for South American—and particularly Argentine—turf fans to stay tuned to the action.

One of those highlights will be the Christophe Clement Stakes - Presented by Don Julio Tequila (G3), contested over 2,400 meters on the turf with a $175,000 purse, where Ayra Stark (Cosmic Trigger) appears among the nine confirmed runners.

She won't be the only Argentine presence in the race, as jockey Jorge Ruiz Díaz will ride No Show Sammy Jo (Lope de Vega), the morning-line favorite, once again teaming up with English trainer H. Graham Motion.

For Ayra Stark, this will be her second start under the direction of Mexican trainer Horacio de Paz, who took over her preparation following the retirement of Ignacio Correas (h.). Already a winner of two races in the North, the pair seems to have hit it off; in their first outing together, the Haymarket Farm LLC chestnut finished second, just 1/2 length behind Speed Shopper (Quality Road) in the Florence Stakes (L) at Turfway Park on the synthetic track.

Entrusted to the hands of Ricardo Santana Jr., Ayra Stark seeks revenge against that same rival, who is listed at 6/1as the third choice. The Argentine mare, meanwhile, stands at 15/1 as an outsider.

The aforementioned No Show Sammy Jo is looking for her third graded stakes victory in this race, which now pays tribute to the unforgettable French trainer and was formerly known as the La Prevoyante Stakes.

No Show Sammy Jo enters this commitment following a dominant 5 3/4-length victory in the Via Borghese Stakes (L) on December 24 at this very venue.

“In her last race, she showed the form I had expected from her all year. I’ve always thought she was one of my best mares,” explained Graham Motion. “The mile and a half is an unknown, but I honestly believe it’s the distance she wants to run.”

The daughter of Lope de Vega boasts a record of six wins in 13 starts, including two editions of the All Along at Laurel Park. “It took me a while to figure out what she really wanted to do. In 2025, I might have pushed her too early by taking her straight to a G1 at Keeneland, but she is a high-class mare,” added Motion.

The biggest threat is Fionn (Twirling Candy), trained by Brad Cox, who has already surpassed 2 million dollars in career earnings. With seven wins in 10 starts, her trophy cabinet includes the Belmont Oaks Invitational (G1) and the Jockey Club Oaks (G3).