Colorado del Monte secures a grand championship triumph, savoring sweet revenge in the Gran Premio Estrellas Juvenile

Following his bitter disqualification from first place in the Gran Premio Montevideo (G1), the talented son of Strategosengineered a masterful performance on the San Isidro turf to capture a well-deserved top-level victory

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina— The bitter sting of a May 1 disqualification from first place in Palermo’s Gran Premio Montevideo (G1) was swiftly erased for Colorado del Monte and his connections on Friday afternoon. The brilliant chestnut could not have scripted a more definitive redemption, delivering a truly formidable performance to capture the Gran Premio Estrellas Juvenile (G1) over 1,600 meters on the turf, anchoring the opening-day card of the Carreras de las Estrellas festival at Hipódromo de San Isidro.

While regular pilot Gustavo Calvente bore some responsibility when the colt was stripped of his victory in the stewards' room last out, the top-tier jockey engineered his own particular vengeance on Friday, serving as a vital architect of the triumph. Recognizing a light, speed-favoring turf course, Calvente masterfully rationed the colt’s speed at the head of affairs, setting fractions of :25.57 and :49.21.

Upon entering the stretch, Calvente shook up the favorite’s challenger, Emotion Prize (Emotion Orpen), who had been tracking closely, and effectively put the race to bed with a devastating kick from the 300-meter mark to the wire, leaving the deep closers with completely insurmountable ground to cover.

At the wire, Colorado del Monte rolled home a commanding four-length winner. A courageous Emotion Prize turned in a stellar performance to secure the runner-up spot, digging deep to turn back the late challenge of Stay Tune (Fortify) by a mere nose. Barto (Pneumatic) offered an encouraging effort in his graded stakes debut to finish another neck back in fourth. Conversely, post-time favorite Roi du Monde (Treasure Beach) proved a total non-factor, checking in a flat fifth, beaten eight lengths after being compromised by a slow, tactical pace that completely negated his trademark closing kick.

Conditioned by Nicolás Martín Ferro—and saddled on the day by his father, Enrique—Colorado del Monte secured a second individual Juvenile trophy for the trainer and the silks of Stud Facundito, who previously teamed up to land the 2022 edition with eventual champion Subsanador (Fortify) at Palermo.

The outstanding chestnut son of Strategos has firmly positioned himself at the absolute absolute pinnacle of the 2-year-old crop, and looks poised to claim divisional championship honors when the Carlos Pellegrini Awards are presented next season.