El Exito Stretches Out to 1800 Meters in Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires

The chestnut is entered for Saturday’s feature at Palermo; San Isidro will stage the Latency, while La Plata hosts the República de Chile

El Exito, the Benchmark at Palermo’s Middle Distances / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

With all attention now squarely fixed on the upcoming Dec. 13 Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini (G1)—for which entries closed Monday—the country’s major racecourses continue to shape their immediate programs in the lead-up to the marquee event.

The top race of the coming weekend will take place on the dirt at the Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo on Saturday, featuring the Clásico Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires (L), contested over 1800 meters under weight-for-age conditions for horses 4-years-old and up.

Only seven were entered, but the race promises plenty of appeal with the possible presence of El Exito (Il Campione), the leading middle-distance force at Palermo, who now stretches out to 1800 meters.

Representing Stud F. Enrique, El Exito exits a strong runner-up finish behind Earth God (Cosmic Trigger) in the Gran Premio Palermo (G1), a race in which Comando Secreto (War Command) checked in seventh.

The latter may return here as a potential threat to El Exito, hoping to rediscover the form that carried him to victory in this same race a couple of seasons ago.

Also among the likely starters is the always-dangerous Super Inter (Super Saver), along with Purity Spring(Greenspring), the dominant winner of the Independencia at Rosario and still seeking a true breakthrough on the Buenos Aires circuit.

Rounding out the list of entries are Fruit Hunter (Global Hunter), Saldo a Favor (Endorsement) and Tamarisco Cat (Southern Cat). The winner of the Clásico Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires will earn a purse of $10,510,000.

At San Isidro, the Clásico Latency (L)—1200 meters on dirt for horses 3 and up—will headline the Wednesday, Dec. 10 program, with eight probables on the list.

Among those entered are Approval Cat (Endorsement), Beauty Sea (Seahenge), Garboso Frank (Gidu), Glorioso Rim (Remote), Huracán Risk (Security Risk), Mario’s Rim (Remote), Ponderosa Texana (Nashville Texan) and Señor Moon (E Dubai).

The week will also feature another stakes event, this time at La Plata, for which confirmations were finalized Monday. The República de Chile—1200 meters on dirt for fillies and mares 4 and up under scale weights—drew just five runners after nine withdrawals, but one name stands out: La Meninha (Le Blues), who will look to back up her score in the Asociación Cooperativa de Criadores de Caballos SPC (L) on the day of the Rocha.

The Tres Jotas homebred will face a tough group, including Emely (Il Campione), Save Your Tears (Full Mast), Truly Princess (Daddy Long Legs) and Gran Celestial (Il Mercato).