End of Spring and Stormy River Shine Brightest on a Gloomy Afternoon

Both 3-Year-Olds Earn Second Wins on Auxiliary Dirt; Minero de Oro Closes the Card Among Veterans, But Turnover Disappoints

End of Spring Digs In to Earn Second Career Win / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

As is often the case on Wednesdays, racing at Hipódromo de San Isidro followed a modest script, dominated by claiming-level events and older horses with little upside. The afternoon left behind a total handle of 395,710,900 pesos, with a low average per race of $24,731,931, and was run in front of largely empty stands—an all-too-familiar sight at tracks worldwide absent headline attractions.

Still, two 3-year-olds managed to break through the gloom and earn comment-worthy wins on the auxiliary dirt surface.

In the day’s Premio Embriagame, contested over 1400 meters and restricted to fillies with one prior win, the well-backed End of Spring (Il Campione—Roman Princess, by Roman Ruler) justified her favoritism, though not without effort. Bred and raced by Triple Alliance and trained by Guillermo Frenkel Santillán, the bay filly rallied wide into the stretch under Juan Cruz Villagra, grinding past Hi Sky (Hi Happy) in the final furlong to prevail by one length in 1:23.88.

The younger half-sister to Charm (Strategos)—recent winner of the G1 Gran Premio de Potrancas and set to take on unbeaten Roshita (Gouverneur Morris) in Saturday’s G1 Estrellas Juvenile Fillies—End of Spring now owns two wins from six starts and continues to hint at further development.

Later, in the male counterpart of the division—the Premio Consejista—there was an upset. The favorite Francis E (Semurius) appeared on track to deliver, but Stormy River (Le Blues—Stormy Empírica, by Bernstein) had other plans. Saving ground along the rail, the Haras Avourneen homebred surged through in the stretch, took command, and held off the chalk by a length.

Representing Stud Mayflower, trained by Pablo Ezequiel Sahagián, and ridden by Juan Pablo Paoloni, Stormy River posted his second win from four outings and gave every impression there’s more to come.

In the traditional heat for older horses with three or more wins, the day wrapped with a thrilling finish in a 1200-meter contest. Minero de Oro (Violence—Mintlips, by Awesome Again), bred by Haras La Pasión, got the nod in a tight three-way photo, edging El Acuchillador (Angiolo) and Nabasiatic (Asiatic Boy) by a pair of heads in 1:10.76.

While the card lacked depth and star power, the efforts of End of Spring, Stormy River, and Minero de Oro gave the afternoon a touch of form amid the shadows.