Blessed Shine Stays Hot With Dominant Star and Stripes Victory
- Turf Diario
- Oct 3
- 2 min read
Carrying 125 pounds, the Honour Devil filly went wire-to-wire to score by five lengths over Che Mamita
Top-level performers always demand respect, and Blessed Shine provided yet another reminder on Friday at Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo, utterly dominating the Handicap Star and Stripes (1400m, dirt), the feature race of the afternoon.
Representing Aguas Buenas, the daughter of Derby Winner Honour Devil (Honour and Glory) took another step forward after emerging as a division standout with her recent win in the Handicap Laguna Blanca. Facing a tougher weight assignment this time—carrying 57 kilos (125 pounds)—Blessed Shine again proved up to the task, dictating terms from the gate with a strong pace and finishing with energy down the stretch. Facundo Coria positioned the filly at the front as the gates opened. After covering the opening 400 meters in 24.20, she began to accelerate, hit 800 meters in a blistering 46.98, and once in the stretch, she built an insurmountable lead, finishing powerfully.
In the end, she scored by five lengths over the seasoned Che Mamita (Safety Check, 56), who bounced back at her favored Palermo strip after underperforming at San Isidro. Emma Linda (Emmanuel, 55) completed the trifecta, 1 1/2 lengths further back, with a final time of 1:23.66, including a 1200-meter split of 1:10.61.
The favorite, Expert Advice (Il Campione, 57), disappointed, finishing sixth, 9 1/4 lengths behind, while Costa Dark (In the Dark, 58) struggled even more, ending well back and signaling a limited future at this level.
Bred by La Caballeriza S.A. and trained by Edilio R. Martínez, Blessed Shine now boasts six wins from 16 starts, including two at stakes level and four victories in her last five outings.
Her dominant performance on Friday confirms her excellent current form and suggests she still has room to improve further.
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