Es por Amor found her true calling in the sprint ranks and shocked the Suipacha
The son of Strategos closed wide out to defeat Claro Bombón at odds of 30.95-1 at San Isidro; Pablo Damián Carrizoguided the Stud La Palmera homebred, who secured his first Group 1 victory over 1,000 meters
The sprint division appeared to have its leading hierarchy firmly in place, but Es por Amor took it upon himself to reshape the entire landscape. On the afternoon of the Gran Premio Jockey Club (G1), the representative of Stud La Palmera pulled off one of the biggest upsets of Saturday's card by capturing the Gran Premio Suipacha (G1-1,000 m, turf), finding at the minimum distance the top-level crowning glory he had teased as a 2-year-old over considerably longer trips.
There is a touch of pedigree inheritance in that ability to perform across different distance realms. His sire, Strategos(Zensational), first conquered the summit in the sprint ranks before extending his supreme class into route races. Es por Amor traveled the opposite path: he made a name for himself among the best of his crop in 2025 and, upon returning from a lengthy layoff, discovered a whole new way to express his class. The outcome of the Suipachaultimately gave full meaning to that transformation.
Second in the Gran Premio Gran Criterium (G1), third in the Gran Premio Dos Mil Guineas (G1), and fourth in the Gran Premio Polla de Potrillos (G1), he boasted credentials that suggested he would continue to progress as distances lengthened. However, following that performance at Palermo, he remained sidelined for six months. His return, now under the care of trainer Pablo Sahagian, brought a different strategy: searching for answers in the speed ranks.
He was coming off an alternativa conditions win at Palermo, making the leap to the Suipacha a significant step up. Restoring confidence in lower company was one thing, but tackling the established figures of the division was another. Yet the colt responded with a resounding performance, rallying wide out to transform from a longshot afterthought into the architect of a victory that blew up all calculations.
Jockey Pablo Damián Carrizo was tasked with timing his run and riding him through that decisive charge. Whenever he gets an opportunity at this level, the rider proves his top-class instincts, and here he played a major role in bringing out the winner's finest form. Charging wide out came Es por Amor, carrying the necessary momentum to settle a race that delivered unexpected joy alongside several disappointments.
At the wire, his winning margin over Santa Fe representative Claro Bombón (Claro Oscuro) was 3/4 of a length. The runner-up also contributed to a lucrative pari-mutuel outcome, while favorite Bailarín de Venecia (Angiolo) had to settle for third, another length back. The $30.95 payout generated by the winner served as the exact measure of a shocker that, upon closer inspection of his formlines, might not have been so unbelievable after all.
Le Cornette (Emmanuel), the reigning Champion Sprinter who entered off back-to-back victories, could not sustain his run and finished fifth, albeit beaten just 2 1/2 lengths. Among those who ran below expectations were Rey de la Calle (Che Micky) and Naranccello (Le Blues). November Rain (Strategos), the lone 3-year-old in the field, tailed off last, unable to assert himself against his elders.
Bred by Haras Juan Antonio and tracing back to a family of immense significance in Argentina—that of Fitzcarraldo(Cipayo)—Es por Amor is just 4 years old. His story still offers plenty of room for growth, now under a distance path that seems tailored to his abilities and backed by the prestige of a Group 1 victory.
The Suipacha thus added a major new force to a division that had been revolving around the same usual suspects. With the Gran Premio Maipú (G1) and the Gran Premio Félix de Alzaga Unzué (G1) looming on the horizon, he will now have to be taken seriously. The class was always there; the drop in distance simply unlocked its finest expression.
