Farika Overcomes Weight, Distance, and Pace to Dominate Nigromante

Breaking from the widest gate, carrying 130 pounds, and returning off a three-month layoff, the daughter of Bodemeister scored decisively, confirming her steady improvement

Farika Overcomes Every Obstacle in Her Path / HAPSA

Despite drawing the far outside post 14, carrying one of the co-highweights at 59 kilos (130 lbs), and returning off nearly a three-month layoff, Farika (Bodemeister) showed exactly why she’s regarded as one of Argentina’s most talented sprinting mares. The 5-year-old overcame every possible challenge to capture Monday’s feature at Palermo, the Handicap Nigromante, contested over 1200 meters on dirt.

The Haras La Pasión-bred mare, racing for Stud Rubio B. and trained by Juan Carlos Etchechoury Jr., found herself racing extremely wide throughout after a sluggish break. Turning for home, she lugged in noticeably under William Pereyra, but from the final 300 meters onward, she straightened up and powered home with authority to score by 1 1/2 lengths over topweight Aiyanna (Santillano), who also endured trouble while launching her bid from the back.

Another 1 1/2 lengths back came Che Mamita (Safety Check) in third, completing a trifecta that aligned with the betting public’s top selections. Final time for the trip was 1:11.57, after early fractions of 24.22 and 47.50.

Farika now owns six wins from just nine career starts, including earlier victories in the Handicaps Brilliantly and Star and Stripes, a runner-up finish in the G2 Clásico Carlos Tomkinson, and a third in the Handicap Jacinto Rafael Herrera.

Out of Far Away Eyes (Not For Sale), a full sister to the influential Blues for Sale (dam of champions Blue Prize and Blue Stripe), Farika is also a half-sister to G2 winner Far Away Love (Violence). With such elite bloodlines, her developing resume is becoming a mirror of her pedigree: class, consistency, and sheer will to win.