Blow After Blow: Gardel Pass Out for the Remainder of the Season

The hero of the Polla de Potrillos (G1) suffered an injury to the back tendon of his right foreleg and will miss both the Gran Premio Jockey Club (G1) and the Nacional (G1). With Amor de Contramano and Drive Joy also sidelined, the 2022 crop loses its top stars

Gardel Pass will require between 40 and 60 days of rest / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

It seems like a curse. First, Amor de Contramano (Gouverneur Morris) vacated his spot in the Gran Premio Polla de Potrillos (G1) due to a physical issue. Then it was revealed that Drive Joy (Fortify), second in the start of the Triple Crown, suffered a right knee injury and will be sidelined for several months.

Now, Turf Diario has confirmed that Gardel Pass, winner of last Saturday’s landmark race at the Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo, also did not come out in perfect condition and will most likely miss the rest of the season due to an injury.

According to Alfredo Camogli, the colt’s breeder and owner:"A small issue appeared, so we ran some tests, mainly because it was him and given his recent win, and we were surprised by the diagnosis of a strain in the flexor tendon of his right front leg, above and behind the knee. When you see him walk, he shows no signs; you have to trot him, and he’s just slightly lame, or press the area firmly. But the diagnosis calls for 40 to 60 days of rest, which usually extends a bit longer. Now I have to decide whether to send him to the field to rest or treat him in the stud."

The Distinctiv Passion colt had staged a spectacular finish in the Polla alongside Drive Joy, ultimately defeating him by a neck after both exerted a tremendous effort—which now seems to have taken its toll.

Trained by Walter Suárez and María F. Alvarez, the bay had previously finished third to Amor de Contramano in the Clásico Miguel Cané (G2) and had earlier defeated Winston (Forge), now the generation leader in La Pata, in the Clásico Pedro Goenaga (G2).

"I’m 100 years old, and Gardel Pass gave me my first Polla, a race I had never won before, but now we’re left without the Jockey Club, with no options. He’ll have all the time he needs to recover; the good news is that the injury is minor and has an excellent prognosis, although it always leaves a bad feeling. These are horses, and the good ones break, and it happened to us," Camogli concluded.

In just a few weeks, the 2022 generation has lost its main stars—Amor de Contramano, Drive Joy, and Gardel Pass—leaving the upcoming Gran Premio Jockey Club (G1) and Nacional (G1) to enter a phase of reorganization. An incredible string of bad news.