Esmeralda Cósmica and Llanero Rye Shine at Palermo

The filly and colt each notched their first career victories over the dirt sprint, claiming wins in the conditional division

Llanero Rye Ended a String of Near-Misses / JUAN I. BOZZELO

After a couple of high-quality cards, Monday’s meeting at Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo saw a noticeable drop in overall class, concluding with total handle of ARS 500,014,051 and an average bet of ARS 35,715,289.

Beyond En Un Rincón (Manipulator)’s victory in the Handicap Grandes Fustas, the conditional races provided the day’s main highlights. The standout events were the Frescor (1000 m, dirt) for fillies and Fancy Money (1000 m, dirt)for colts, both within the alternative conditions division.

In the Frescor, debutante Esmeralda Cósmica (Cosmic Trigger–Esmeralda Gold, by Cartier Gold, Haras La Nobleza) dominated from the start, pulling clear in the final stages to win by five lengths over Santa Silvia (Hurricane Cat) in 57.99 seconds. Ridden by Elvio Candia Gutiérrez and trained by Roberto A. Latorre for Stud Don Robinson, the filly made a striking first impression.

Later, among the colts, Llanero Rye (Copetín Rye–Llanera Fiz, by Slew Gin Gizz, Haras Arroyo el Gato) broke a string of near-misses to secure his first victory. With Kevin Banegas aboard, the Arandu-owned colt tracked the leader and favorite Angle of Light (Angiolo), and when the frontrunner faltered, battled Rozenburg (Puerto Escondido) in the closing meters to win by three-quarters of a length in 56.82 seconds. It was Llanero Rye’s fifth career start.

Professionally, Kevin Banegas stood out with a double, also winning aboard Happy Fitz (Hi Happy). Stallion Hi Happysimilarly had a productive day, with multiple wins from Idea Original and Happy Fitz.

Palermo’s card may have lacked top-class fireworks this time, but attention now turns to upcoming major events, including the Selección (G1) and Nacional (G1). Meanwhile, more exciting stakes are just around the corner, with fillies facing off in the Francisco J. Beazely (G2) and colts contesting the Coronel Miguel F. Martínez (G3), both over 1800 meters.