Charm ruled the turf mile and penned the first major chapter of his career

The Triple Alliance homebred was relentless in the G1 Gran Premio de Potrancas, delivering Strategos his first top-level winner at stud and establishing herself as a leading figure on the road to divisional supremacy

Charm turned in a performance full of class / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

Bringing both class and a touch of logic to the equation, Charm was a dazzling winner of Sunday’s G1 Gran Premio de Potrancas (1600m, soft turf) at San Isidro, continuing the division’s road to stardom for 2-year-old fillies and delivering a first Group 1 success for emerging sire Strategos (Zensational).

Absent was Tiz Joy (Fortify), who had narrowly denied Charm in the G2 Clásico Eliseo Ramírez, but the Triple Alliance homebred had no trouble stretching out to the mile. She handled the demanding going with poise and stamped her authority on the race to establish herself as one of the most promising juveniles of her generation.

Always within striking range under Martín Valle, the José C. Blanco trainee tracked pacesetter Sinfonía Latina (Señor Candy) through honest early fractions—25.37 for the opening quarter and 48.99 for the half—despite the testing underfoot conditions. Turning for home, Charm looked poised and ready, and once Valle gave her the cue, she surged to the front with ease.

What followed was pure poetry in motion. The chestnut filly powered away with long, efficient strides, giving Citana(Endorsement) no chance to threaten despite a solid late run. The margin was 2 1/2 lengths at the wire, with maiden La Banda (Fortify) checking in a distant third, 6 lengths adrift, and another length ahead of Plaza Athenee (Il Campione).

The final time of 1:40.29 was more than respectable considering the going, and Charm now boasts 2 wins from just 3 starts, her only defeat coming in graded company. Perhaps most importantly, she answered the distance question with style.

Looking ahead, her path becomes less certain. With the puzzling removal of the 1000 Guineas from the calendar, the next G1 opportunity on turf for fillies at San Isidro will not come until the G1 Enrique Acebal. In the meantime, all signs point to the G1 Estrellas Juvenile Fillies and the G1 Polla de Potrancas, both to be run on the dirt at Palermo.

That, however, may not be a problem at all—Charm debuted with a runaway win over the dirt at San Isidro, suggesting a surface switch will pose little threat to her growing ambitions.