Billion travels to La Punta with the goal of lifting the cup in the Gran Premio Vicente Dupuy

The stayer from Stud Don Juanca is the top candidate for Sunday’s big race in San Luis

In a great moment, Billion goes for the Dupuy in La Punta / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

LA PUNTA, San Luis (Special for Turf Diario).- The racetrack of this city will dress up next Sunday to host its most important race of the season: the Gran Premio Vicente Dupuy (G3-2400 m, dirt), which will offer a prize pool of 28,000,000 pesos, with 20 million going to the winner.

Within a program that will also include the Clásico Estrellas Puntanas (1000 m, dirt) and some match races for quarter horses over short distances, the expectation centers on a high-quality Dupuy, whose confirmed runners include Billion, one of the top references in long-distance dirt racing at the major tracks.

The son of Galicado trained by Elvio Bortulé will make the trip at a moment of high performance, as he made clear a few weeks ago when he won by several lengths in the Handicap República de Francia at San Isidro Racecourse.

Previously, the chestnut from Stud Don Juanca had finished second to El Emporio (Il Campione) in the Clásico Ayacucho (G3) and triumphed in the Clásico Jockey Club del Paraguay in La Plata. Winner of the Clásico Coronel Miguel F. Martínez (G3), Ayacucho, and OSAF (G3), he will be a tough nut to crack. Osvaldo Alderete, as almost always, will be in his saddle.

Another presence that must be respected to the fullest is that of Cornwall (Remote), who at the end of December made headlines by winning the Clásico Ciudad de Azul in Azul, but had previously achieved several important results such as his success in the Clásico Fondistas Provinciales, his second in the Clásico Domingo F. Sarmiento (L), and his fourth in the OSAF, just 1 1/4 lengths behind Don Champagne (Long Island Sound).

El Mau (Southern Cat), runner-up to the now-absent Tapit Bomb (Hit It a Bomb) in the Gran Premio Jorge Laffué(L), will run as a team with Tamarisco Cat (Holy Boss) —with Juan Carlos Noriega—, both carrying the colors of Stud La Nona, the winningest stable in the history of the race, making them other strong candidates.

Endo Verde (Endorsement), hero of the 2025 version, returns in pursuit of the double, although his current form is not very encouraging, while He's a Rockstar (Endorsement) and Che Banquero (Greenspring) offer second-tier options.

Regarding the Clásico Estrellas Puntanas, Neón Boy (Cosmic Trigger) brings the best credentials, including a pair of victories in Palermo, and seems ready to face Cursi Man (Manipulator), Dark Sound (Long Island Sound), and Gritalo Gringo (Touareg).