Ballado's Beach will try to make it third time’s the charm in the U.S.

The Argentine mare, a Gran Premio Gilberto Lerena (G1) winner at Palermo, is set to race this Friday at Gulfstream Park

Ballado's Beach is the favorite for today's race at Gulfstream Park / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

HALLANDALE BEACH, FL – (Special for TDN) – Will the third time be the charm for Argentine mare Ballado’s Beach in the U.S.? That question will be answered on Friday when the Treasure Beach filly lines up in the fifth race at Gulfstream Park, a $96,000 allowance optional claiming event going 1 3/8 miles on the turf.

Now trained by Ignacio Correas (h.) for J and J Stables LLC and with Joel Rosario set to ride, the bay mare—bred by Juan Garat at Haras El Gusy—will break from post five in an eight-horse field and has been installed as the 8-5 morning-line favorite.

A 7-year-old now racing in the U.S. and set to run on Lasix for the first time, Ballado’s Beach made her North American debut with a fifth-place finish in the Via Borghese S. (L) before finishing seventh in the La Prevoyante S. (G3), though she was beaten only five lengths by Forever After All (Connect).

A Gran Premio Gilberto Lerena (G1) winner in 2024 at Palermo under the same conditions she will face here, Ballado’s Beach also captured the Clásico Sierra Balcarce, finished second in the 2022 Gilberto Lerena (G1) and in the Clásico Partícula (G2), and placed third in the Clásico Los Haras (G2) and Clásico Apertura (G2) while carrying the silks of Stud Las Monjitas.

Her main rival appears to be Bourbon Thief (Tapwrit), trained by Ian Wilkes, who broke her maiden at Churchill Downs and followed up with a pair of solid allowance efforts.

H. Graham Motion will send out Irish-bred Sunny Spell (Too Darn Hot), who makes her U.S. debut after five starts in France, where she won at Compiegne and finished second in the Prix Madame Jean Couturie at Vichy.

Another well-regarded contender in the early wagering is Tarneema (Kitten’s Joy), a Shadwell homebred trained by Brendan Walsh, who won at Fair Grounds early in her career but has shown little since.

The field is rounded out by Mama Bella (Violence), Sugaree (Camelot), Show Off (Lookin At Lucky), and Starship Boeng (American Pharoah), making Ballado’s Beach a deserving favorite—but now she’ll have to prove it on the track.