Drive Joy Delivers on Dirt as Dany Etchechoury Strikes Where Few Expected

The trainer shone in Palermo’s Juvenile (G1), defeating the favorite with a colt who had never set foot on that track before but delivered like a true champion

Carlos D. Etchechoury (left) Captures His Fourth Estrellas Juvenile / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

Some stories bloom where no one expects them to. Like wildflowers sprouting from cracks in stone, or a turf colt flourishing on the most demanding dirt. On Saturday at Palermo, Drive Joy delivered a victory for Carlos Daniel Etchechoury that carried a different taste. Though his greatest triumphs have traditionally come over the green of San Isidro, this time it was the dirt of Palermo that saw him shine, as Drive Joy, who had never set foot on the surface before, defeated heavy favorite Amor de Contramano (Gouverneur Morris)—the darling of nearly every ticket—in the G1 Gran Premio Estrellas Juvenile.

“I’m very happy with the colt’s win,” Etchechoury said calmly, knowing the cost of reaching the top. “We had huge faith in him, but we knew there was a horse like Juan Saldivia’s who, on paper, looked almost unbeatable, which makes our victory even more valuable. I’m sure they’ll meet again, and we’ll see what happens, because they’re both excellent competitors.”

The challenge was enormous. The track, unfamiliar. The rival, a real threat. But the chestnut responded like a good one, with the class his team always believed he possessed. “Luckily, he handled the track well, which was my only fear, but horses that stand out always overcome any obstacle, and he proved that today.”

He had shown signs in his previous outing: “He was way back early but came flying late on a heavy track. He lost, yes, but even then he showed me he was something special. Now we have a nice challenge ahead, with stakes both at San Isidro and Palermo, and he’s already shown he has no problem with any surface.”

Etchechoury was quick to credit his team for the success. “This is the result of very serious work by a great team. José, my foreman, is a beast with his day-to-day work, and with such a top-class group of grooms, it becomes a stud where everything is done extraordinarily well. I don’t want to forget the vets, Cristian, Ezequiel, Coco, and Juan Carlos Bagó, who give you the freedom and resources you need to achieve these results.”

Drive Joy is the kind of horse who gives his all each morning. “He tends to do a little more than I want in his gallops. The day of his breeze he was spectacular. I told Pepe—Martín Valle—to settle him, and he listened. Then, in his final piece of work, he flew, and that scared me a bit because the last thing I wanted was for him to overdo it.”

As is customary with his team, no detail was left to chance. “During the week we discussed how the race might unfold, whether the grey would go to the front or not. But mostly, it was about focusing on ours—don’t fight him, just let him travel where he felt comfortable. And that’s exactly how the race played out.”

For Etchechoury, it marked his fourth Estrellas Juvenile win, having previously captured the race in 2007 with Mach Glory (Honour and Glory), in 2009 with San Livinus (Mutakddim), and in 2019 with star miler Ivar (Brz, Agnes Gold).

“San Isidro is like home for me; I grew up experiencing it with my dad. We come to Palermo less often. I know it’s a little tougher here… and that makes it even more meaningful. That’s why this win has such a special flavor.”

Racing is built on statistics, work, and strategy. But also—and above all—on sensitivity, intuition, and conviction. Sometimes, to make history, you have to step out of your comfort zone, to change the color of the ground beneath your horse’s hooves. And when that happens, faith blossoms where there were no footprints before.