Cote D'Or Handicap Draws Attention with Miss Talento, Priola and Vedette Queen Among Standouts

In an extremely competitive field, 11 fillies and mares will line up in Palermo chasing top honors and a purse of 8 million pesos

Miss Talento appears well-positioned for a standout performance / JUAN I. BOZELLO

It’s hard to find a clear standout among the 11 fillies and mares entered for Friday’s Handicap Cote D'Or at Palermo. So evenly matched is the 1800-meter dirt feature that a win by almost any of them would hardly qualify as a surprise.

Restricted to 4-year-olds and up, the race offers a winner’s prize of 8 million pesos—a purse that surpasses what Gardel Pass (Distinctiv Passion) earned Thursday when capturing the G2 Pedro Goenaga at La Plata—and headlines a 14-race card that also includes several interesting allowance contests.

Carrying top weight of 57 kilos, Miss Talento (Equal Stripes) looms a logical favorite off a strong fourth-place finish in the G3 Círculo de Propietarios de Caballerizas SPC, just 5 3/4 lengths behind the promising Coni Fizz (Marconi), and less than a length off the runner-up, Noche Alta (Hi Happy).

In light at 53.5 kilos, Priola (South Kissing) appears poised for a career-best effort. Third last time in the Hcp. Neápolis at San Isidro’s inner oval, she had previously run a strong second to Poker Mommy (Daddy Long Legs) in the Hcp. Elías Antúnez, under similar conditions.

Vedette Queen (Suggestive Boy, 53 kilos) was soundly beaten by Miss Talento earlier in the year but has since rebounded with back-to-back wins at the allowance level and will try to earn her first black-type placing.

Breaking from the rail is Excelsum Ter (Bodemeister, 55.5), a past stakes competitor, while Clare (Puerto Escondido, 52) is lightly weighted and enters off a runner-up finish behind Jalimba (Señor Candy) in the Special Miss Loren at La Plata.

Godess (Valid Stripes), Sabrán de Ella (Safety Check), and Zennobia (Idolo Porteño), all set to carry 52 kilos or less, will look to capitalize on their weight breaks in what promises to be a wide-open and entertaining feature.