Beauty Sea Steps Forward With Handicap Polemarch Victory

The horse who was a major protagonist of the 2023 Triple Crown now made headlines again, this time delivering in one-turn sprint company

For Beauty Sea, it marked his first significant victory in more than two years / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

Many times, it’s hard to fully grasp the twists and turns of a racehorse’s career. Understanding how a colt who traded blows with El Kodigo (Equal Stripes), Ever Daddy (Daddy Long Legs) and other standouts of his generation—one who was a protagonist at every stage of the Triple Crown, who captured stakes during the classic process—could need two full years to regain even part of that level… isn’t simple.

As so often happens in racing, logic doesn’t always apply. Physical condition, maturity, timing, health—luck, too… everything plays a part. On Friday, Beauty Sea (56kg) returned to meaningful wins, perhaps still without the shine of those days when his name routinely made headlines, but clearly on the right path toward reinventing himself, now, as a sprinter.

Representing Stud El Carmen, he handled the normal dirt at San Isidro to take the Handicap Polemarch (1300m), the day’s main event on an otherwise quiet program. And he did it with a certain degree of authority against a seasoned group.

A massive 540-kilo specimen, the son of Seahenge enjoyed a straightforward trip. He tracked Free Prize (Winning Prize, 55.5kg) from a sensible distance, ranged up in the stretch, took command, and shut the door.

From farther back, Mr Neil (Valid Stripes, 57kg) made a run but had to settle for second, beaten a length. Free Prize, game in defeat, completed the trifecta another half-length back, with a neck and a head separating Flying to the Sky(Señor Candy, 57.5kg) and Qué Bombón (Daniel Boone, 55kg). Final time: 1:16.23.

Trained by Nicolás Martín Ferro and bred by Haras Vacación, Beauty Sea had the steady hands of Gustavo Calventein the irons and now owns 5 wins from 18 starts—two above the common ranks—and nearly 33 million pesos in earnings.

Little by little, Beauty Sea is finding his form again, becoming competitive once more and, at least for now, discovering his niche around one turn. And judging by his résumé, new targets could soon emerge on the horizon.