Envidiada and Dimes y Diretes, the fillies that stood out on Friday at Palermo

Envidiada, racing for Don Armando, made a flawless debut, leaving no room for doubt, while Dimes y Diretesredeemed herself on the dirt after a dull first impression on turf

On the dirt, Dimes y Diretes showed marked improvement / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

The day the Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo unveiled its new Position Tracking System—and when Vedette Queen(Suggestive Boy) stole the spotlight in the Handicap Cote D’Or—also delivered several other stories worth telling, including strong juvenile performances and solid wagering figures despite unfavorable weather.

Turnover for the card reached 510,674,811 pesos (approx. US$ 570,000), averaging 36,476,772 pesos per race, with 15% of the pool generated via commingling. While the latter continues to grow steadily, only a minuscule portion filters down to the purse structure, limiting its current impact on the domestic circuit.

Among the highlights on track were the two divisions of the Premio Persimmon, restricted to 2-year-old fillies over 1200 meters on the main dirt track, contested under a persistent drizzle.

The first heat featured a dazzling debut by Envidiada (Il Campione–Spore, by Sebi Halo), a homebred for Haras El Paraíso racing in the silks of Don Armando. Quickly into stride under Kevin Banegas, the dark bay filly was in control from the break and widened her advantage with ease in the lane to cross the wire 4 lengths clear of promising newcomer Forming (Winning Prize). Clocked in 1:10.95 with the old timing system still in place, her final time should be taken with caution—but her talent was unmistakable.

In the second division, Dimes y Diretes (Leofric–Dime Tía, by Grand Daddy), bred by Haras Los Turfistas, rebounded strongly from a forgettable debut effort on turf at San Isidro. Back on dirt—where she trains daily—and sporting the colors of Stud Paladar Negro, the gray filly raced midpack before angling in and accelerating powerfully in the stretch to defeat odds-on favorite Halyna (Fortify) by 5 lengths in 1:12.27.

Trained by Omar Labanca and piloted with confidence by Lautaro Balmaceda, Dimes y Diretes became the sixth individual winner from the first crop of Leofric, a G1-winning son of Candy Ride who relocated permanently to Argentina in 2024.