El Ernesto made Kevin Méndez shine and confirmed the patient hand of Víctor Villanueva

The jockey achieved the finest victory of his career in the Clásico 25 de Mayo, aboard a horse whose trainer completely turned his form around

LA PLATA.— The triumph of El Ernesto this Tuesday in the Clásico 25 de Mayo de 1810 (G2), one of the central events of the patriotic celebration at La Plata Racecourse, had much more behind it than just the decisiveness of a horse in great form. It also signified the consecration of two professionals who have been building their paths with effort, patience, and a low profile: jockey Kevin Méndez and trainer Víctor Villanueva.

For Méndez, the victory represented the most important of his career. And the emotion was evident in every word after crossing the wire ahead with the son of Señor Candy, who has now become one of the prominent milers in the country.

"It is a pleasure to be aboard such a good and noble horse. He is a great horse, he does everything right, I enjoy riding him," expressed the rider, still with the adrenaline of the race running through him and the logical satisfaction of having achieved a conquest of such value.

With the serenity of someone who knows his partner by heart, Méndez further explained why riding El Ernesto has become a special experience: "It became fast, but he always runs relaxed, and since we have confidence in him, we know he responds, you can ride him with tranquility."

The phrase paints a perfect picture of the horse's current state. Because even when the competition took on an intense development early on, El Ernesto never lost his composure. He ran with poise, managed his energy, and responded when necessary, showing his maturity.

Méndez did not forget those who open doors for him daily in a profession that is often as competitive as it is ungrateful: "I am grateful to those who give me mounts and confidence," he summarized with humility.

On the other side was Villanueva, perhaps one of the main figures responsible for the transformation the horse underwent since his arrival at the stable. The trainer recalled the beginnings of the story with a mixture of surprise and satisfaction.

"We bought him as a 4-year-old winner of 2 races, and that's how things go. Sometimes you have to be lucky; he matured over time and now he has become a real runner," commented the conditioner.

However, for Villanueva there was a decisive detail that ended up turning around El Ernesto's campaign: learning to handle his temperament. "He does everything right, but when we were able to control his nerves, he changed completely; that's when he broke out running for real, and every day it seems he runs a little bit more," he explained.

That evolution was reflected on the track. El Ernesto went from being an interesting horse to transforming into an increasingly solid figure within the middle-distance division, with performances that have pushed him toward major stages.

Now, naturally, the time will come to think about what follows. Although behind closed doors, the message seems clear: enjoy the moment and do not rush decisions. "We will see how he comes out of it and analyze the next steps to follow; the idea is to keep enjoying him," noted Villanueva, aware that finding a horse like this does not happen every day.

La historia tiene además un componente federal y afectivo especial. Los propietarios del caballo son de Viedma y, aunque esta vez no pudieron estar presentes en el Bosque para vivir la gran tarde de cerca, siguieron todo a la distancia con enorme entusiasmo.

“Los propietarios son de Viedma, y esta vez no pudieron venir, pero hacen fuerza desde allá con todo el equipo”, contó el entrenador.

Mientras tanto, en La Plata, El Ernesto sigue escribiendo capítulos importantes. Y junto a él crecen también las ilusiones de un jockey que encontró el caballo de su vida y de un entrenador que, con paciencia y trabajo silencioso, terminó moldeando a un corredor de los buenos.