El Fortín, a magnificent victory in the Unzué and the contagious emotion of Lucrecia Carabajal

After 24 years, the jockey returned to the Grade 1 winner’s circle, guiding the Il Campione colt to defeat Le Cornetteand El Epecuén

Lucrecia Carabajal, an unforgettable image / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

The Gran Premio Félix de Alzaga Unzué (G1–1000m, turf) delivered a moment of pure emotion, tears, and history. El Fortín landed the victory, underlining the huge progress he has made in recent months, getting the better of a gallant Le Cornette (Emmanuel), while triple sprint champion Labrado (Le Blues) endured the worst performance of his career, finishing 17th in his fourth attempt to capture the straight-course international.

Yet the spotlight ultimately belonged to Lucrecia Carabajal, who returned to the Grade 1 winners’ circle after 24 years. Her previous top-level success had come back in 2001, aboard Nova Era (Mutakddim) in the Gran Premio Selección de Potrancas (G1)—a statistic that speaks not only to longevity, but also to perseverance, class, and a deep love for the profession. The image of Lucrecia holding her daughter Nina, overwhelmed by emotion, was deeply moving. Carabajal came back to riding so her little girl could see her win… and now she has. After a brief retirement due to motherhood, a period devoted to training, and a gradual return to the saddle, she is once again fully in stride.

El Fortín had previously defeated El Resero con Capa (Angiolo) in a condition race and then scored in the Handicap Ringaro, jumping straight into elite company with the perfect outcome. In the Unzué, he proved equal to the task, prevailing over Le Cornette and El Epecuén (Il Campione) in the final strides by a neck and a neck, stopping the clock in :54.57.

Racing for Stud San José de Ecuador and trained by Mariano Manso—presented by Héctor Duval Pérez—El Fortín was bred at Haras El Paraíso, and the Unzué may well have been his last appearance over the straight course. Manso revealed post-race, on Global Media Turf’s cameras, that the future plan is to stretch him out and try longer distances, a move fully supported by his pedigree.

El Fortín won the Unzué; but he won it with Lucrecia Carabajal, who was congratulated even by Lanfranco Dettorihimself, with whom she had earlier worked El Pulque (Heliostatic). It was an unforgettable week for her—and even more so for Nina. And everyone, absolutely everyone, was moved by a joy that held nothing back.