Desert Gate, wire-to-wire and with an Argentine accent in his genetics
- Turf Diario
- hace 4 horas
- 3 Min. de lectura
The Bob Baffert trainee swept the Hot Springs Stakes (L) at Oaklawn Park, confirming his status among the 3-year-olds and carrying the stamp of Old Star in his pedigree
HOT SPRINGS, Arkansas (Special for Turf Diario).— A race with few participants does not always offer a spectacle. But when a good horse appears on the track, the numbers take a backseat. And that is exactly what happened this Thursday at Oaklawn Park, where Desert Gate made it clear that he belongs to another category by winning wire-to-wire in the Hot Springs Stakes (L), a one-mile race with a US$ 200,000 purse reserved for 3-year-olds.
With only 4 competitors on the track after several scratches, the development quickly turned into a match. However, the story lasted only as long as the favorite wanted. Ridden by Flavien Prat, and debuting blinkers, the Bob Bafferttrainee came out determined from the inside post and never relinquished the lead, setting the pace of the race with authority.
The fractions were a carbon copy of his dominance: always with Soldier N Diplomat (Army Mule) at a controlled distance, Desert Gate passed the quarter, the half-mile, and the 1,200 meters in 1m10s37/100 without showing any weaknesses. Already in the final straight—short due to the particularity of the miles at Oaklawn—the son of Omaha Beach simply pulled away, stretching leads to cross the wire with a convincing 9 3/4-length difference, in a final time of 1m37s3/100 over a fast track.
Behind him, the runner-up finished clearly defined, while Race Ready (More Than Ready) and Top Level (Upstart) completed the board very far back, confirming the winner's enormous superiority.
But beyond the visual impact of his victory, there is a detail that resonates strongly on this side of the map: in Desert Gate's pedigree appears, as third dam, the Argentine Old Star (Southern Halo), an important mare within one of the most influential families of Haras La Quebrada, a cradle of champions and an inexhaustible source of quality for South American breeding.
That connection is not minor. Old Star is part of a lineage that defined an era in Argentine racing, and today is once again present on the international scene through a specimen that is beginning to emerge as a protagonist in his generation in the United States.
For Desert Gate, the victory also meant immediate vindication after his poor fourth-place finish in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) in his 3-year-old debut. That setback was quickly left behind with a solid, mature, and, above all, forceful performance.
“I wanted to get him out well and into a rhythm. I was a bit worried about the inside post, but he responded perfectly. Once on the lead, I felt he was traveling really comfortably,” Prat explained after the race. “I had spoken with Baffertand the idea was for him to be in front. Everything went according to plan.”
With this win, Desert Gate achieved his third victory in six starts and increased his earnings to US$ 372,000, more than justifying the US$ 260,000 paid for him at the OBS 2-year-olds in training sales.
Nominated for the Triple Crown, and with top-level credentials at age 2—including the Best Pal Stakes (G3) and placings in the Del Mar Futurity (G1) and the American Pharoah Stakes (G1)—the Baffert credit is back in the big conversation.
And while his figure grows in the Northern Hemisphere, from the back of his pedigree emerges, silent but firm, the stamp of Argentine breeding. Because when class is inherited, it knows no borders.
