Es Aristocrático, Gonzalo Borda, and the Art of Winning When It Seems Too Late

The jockey timed his move to perfection, proving decisive in the victory of the son of Angiolo in the Especial La Plata Capital

In the clear, Es Aristocrático prevailed just strides before the wire / HLP

LA PLATA.- Emotion was in the air during the Especial La Plata Capital (1400 meters, wet dirt), the co-feature on a quiet Sunday card at El Bosque, with three horses hitting the wire together in a thrilling finish that drew rare but raucous cheers from the sparse crowd.

Sweeping down the center of the track and making the most of the old adage “he who laughs last, laughs best,” Es Aristocrático (54 kg) got up in the nick of time to deny Aroma Rim (Remote, 53 kg) by a head, with Payucano (Mask, 54 kg) just a nose back in third. The final time of 1:23.80 was notably sharper—1.67 seconds faster—than that of Funny Polly (Astern) earlier in the day in the Especial Wanna Dance.

Patient and perfectly timed, jockey Gonzalo Borda made all the difference aboard the son of Angiolo, who snapped a lengthy losing streak by pouncing late. Borda allowed Aroma Rim and Payucano to do the heavy lifting early, sitting back as the pace unfolded in sharp splits of :22.93 and :45.91.

When the field straightened, Es Aristocrático found himself perfectly positioned in the clear, but Borda waited until the 250-meter pole to ask for his best. The bay responded gamely, inching closer with every stride to collar the pacesetters right at the wire.

Aroma Rim, seemingly headed for third, battled back along the rail to take second, while Payucano ran a tremendous race in defeat, boxed into the unenviable “meat in the sandwich” position.

Trained by Marcelo Sueldo and saddled on the day by Emiliano Juárez, Es Aristocrático hadn’t found the winner’s circle since capturing the Clásico Jockey Club Argentino (L) back in January over this same trip. Sunday’s success marked his fifth win from 14 starts, and his third above the allowance level.

Bred by Haras Tres Jotas and racing for Stud Pauli, the colt is a maternal half-brother to top stayer Salonika (Roman Ruler), a Group 3 winner in the Clásico Chile. He hails from the family of Souriante (Lyphmas), one of the cornerstone mares of Tres Jotas’ breeding legacy.