Bachata Queen proved a pleasant surprise in the Clásico Lucio Taborda

The daughter of Storm Embrujado drew off in style from La Meninha and Elenika to land the fourth—and finest—victory of her career

Bachata Queen sacó adelante un desafío complicado, y se afianza / HLP

LA PLATA, Argentina (Special to Turf Diario).— A major upset highlighted Tuesday’s curtain-raiser to the 2026 season at this venue, as Bachata Queen delivered a commanding performance to capture the G3 Clásico Lucio Taborda, the centerpiece of the afternoon.

Making just her second start at stakes level after a fourth in the Clásico Empiric, the daughter of Storm Embrujadoproved far too strong for a quality field, scoring her fourth victory from her last five appearances.

Jockey Lucas González handled the filly with poise, allowing her to settle despite showing early signs of keenness. Gradually, he helped her relax while applying pressure to the pace-setter Tranquila Señora (Fortify), who carved out splits of :24.27 and :47.73.

Turning for home, the leader clung to the advantage briefly, but at the 200-meter mark Bachata Queen surged to the front. From there, she held firm under pressure, reaching the wire two lengths clear of La Meninha (Le Blues), who edged past the favored Elenika (Winning Prize) by half a neck for second. Tranquila Señora stayed on for fourth, 2 1/2 lengths back, while Ucrania (Nicholas) found the class rise demanding, finishing 4 1/2 lengths adrift to lose her unbeaten record. The final time was 1:24.80.

Bred by Haras La Leyenda de Areco and trained in Palermo by Juan F. Saldivia, Bachata Queen remains perfect over the La Plata strip, now three-for-three at the track.

Out of the imported Ballylee (Street Cry) and a half-sister to the hard-knocking Bally Boss (Holy Boss), Bachata Queen continues to move forward with each outing, steadily stretching out after having previously excelled in sprint company.

With her pedigree and connections, there is every reason to believe the best is yet to come—perhaps with a mile next on the agenda. Young, genuine, and improving, the dark bay is carving out her own path—one victory at a time—and giving her backers plenty to dream about.