Comando Secreto returns to the track in the Good Time, facing tough competition

A G1 winner, the son of War Command will carry 63 kg as he takes on Torino Kiin Ha, Brendan, Safety Honour, and Chanclette

Comando Secreto winning the 2023 Gran Premio Palermo / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

Due to a scheduling Lollapalooza festival, at San Isidro, there will be races this Wednesday at the Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo, featuring a generally strong card with a couple of highly anticipated stakes races.

The first segment of the day will kick off with the Especial Gay Hermit (1000m, dirt), for 2-year-olds, which will be covered separately. The day will continue with the Handicap Good Time, a mile race for horses aged 5 and up, which has attracted a highly regarded field of 12 participants, several of them with impressive records.

The top weight of 63 kg has gone to the outstanding Comando Secreto (War Command), winner of the Gran Premio Palermo (G1) a couple of seasons ago and the Clásico 9 de Julio (G2) in 2024. He drops a level in this return to action, as he hasn’t raced since finishing fourth in the aforementioned Palermo last November.

With an abundance of solid past performances, the horse trained by Walter Suárez and María F. Álvarez will rely on his powerful late charge, hoping for a fast-paced race that will allow him to exploit his best asset.

However, claiming the top prize will not be easy, as the field includes Torino Kiin Ha (Señor Candy, 60 kg) and Brendan (Equal Stripes, 58 kg), both of whom come off strong victories. Torino Kiin Ha, winner of the Clásico Ciudad de La Plata (G2) in 2023, most recently won the Handicap Dancing Moss, defeating Easy Way Out (Il Campione) by 2 lengths. Brendan, on the other hand, just dominated the Handicap Martinet, defeating Kavac(Cityscape) on heavy ground, carrying 4 kilos less.

Safety Honour (Safety Check, 59.5 kg), the winner of this race 12 months ago, will be aiming for a double and a comeback, as he finished only fifth in the Martinet, lacking firepower.

Another horse hoping to bounce back is Chanclette (Super Saver, 56.5 kg), lighter than the previous runners and who finished last in the Clásico Horacio Bustillo (G2). However, he had previously earned second-place finishes in the Sideral and Pure Prize Handicaps, as well as in the Clásico Buenos Aires (G3), so he certainly has the potential to turn things around.