Emergent Proves Unstoppable to Take Another Key Step in the Handicap Silfo

Charm’s Brother Shines in Thursday’s Palermo Feature, Cutting Down Buen Curuzucuateño’s Bid

Emergent Delivered a Well-Timed Rally / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

Step by step, with his health on his side, Emergent (55 1/2 kg) is steadily progressing, confirming the potential he has long hinted at. The Il Campione colt was the standout on Thursday at Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo, taking the Handicap Silfo (1400 m, standard dirt) and reaffirming the promise he had shown a few weeks earlier when he fell under similar conditions to Atomic Trigger (Cosmic Trigger) in the Handicap Potrillazo.

A late-blooming runner with an effective but somewhat interrupted campaign, the Miguel Cafere trainee powered through the final 300 meters to seize the lead from Buen Curuzucuateño (Buen Verso, 55 1/2), who had controlled the early stages after Oriental Boy (Cosmic Trigger, 55 1/2) set the pace for much of the race.

Once in stride, the 511-kilo chestnut proved unstoppable, scoring by a head over El Despertar (Il Campione, 57) in third, three lengths further back, with heavy favorite Black Stripes (Equal Stripes, 56) finishing fourth just a head behind but fading early. The final time of 1:23.31 was nearly a second slower than Neón Boy’s later winning clock in the Especial Froom.

Bred by Haras El Paraíso out of Roman Princess (Roman Ruler), Emergent is therefore a maternal sibling to the talented Charm (Strategos), who finished second last Saturday in the Gran Premio Polla de Potrancas (G1) and had previously won two G1s. Emergent’s victory marked his fifth in 10 starts—four at Palermo and one at San Isidro.

With the versatility to perform over intermediate distances—from 1400 to 1800 meters—Emergent has also shown promise at longer trips, finishing third in the 2,000-meter Clásico Clausura (G2) at La Plata in 2024 behind Wages(Lucullan).

Emergent possesses abundant talent, and if he can maintain his soundness, he could make the most of the mature stage of his career and compete effectively in stakes company.