Filippiada Returns to the Mile and Faces a Competitive Lineup in the Clásico Inés Victorica Roca

A specialist over the 1,400-meter trip, the talented daughter of Il Mercato stretches out in distance this afternoon in search of a valuable graded stakes victory on the Palermo dirt track

Maintaining the relentless momentum of the local stakes calendar, Monday's racing action at Palermo Racecourse will find its competitive highlight in the Clásico Inés Victorica Roca (G3). The 1,600-meter dirt feature is restricted to fillies and mares four years old and upward under weight-for-age conditions.

The colors of Stud El Recuerdo de Baby will be well represented by Filippiada, an in-form gray currently running at a level that mirrors the top-class form she displayed as a juvenile when capturing the Clásico Manuel J. Güiraldes (G3).

A proven specialist over the 1,400-meter trip, the daughter of Il Mercato now stretches back out to the mile—a distance she has tackled twice before, with a fifth-place effort in the prestigious Polla de Potrancas (G1) standing as her best performance at the trip. She enters the engagement on the heels of a commanding three-length score in the Handicap Platería, a victory that underscores her current sharpness.

Within a remarkably balanced lineup, nothing will come easy for the gray filly. Her task includes turning back a formidable entry from the powerful Stud Rubio B., consisting of Duffy (Il Mercato) and Mazza Sorda (Gouverneur Morris). The former ships in following an acceptable third-place finish in the Clásico Círculo de Propietarios de Caballerizas SPC (G3), finishing 2 1/2 lengths adrift of Lancara (Manipulator). Meanwhile, her stablemate arrives riding a three-race win streak in conditional company and looks fully prepared to make the grade.

The ultra-consistent International Look (Cosmic Trigger) will also line up in the starting stalls, and it seems almost paradoxical that she has yet to break through at the stakes level. A multiple graded stakes-placed mare, she returns to the dirt after two uninspiring efforts on the turf, and she is widely expected to appreciate the surface switch and bounce back to her best form.

Paxing (Señor Candy) enters the fray with her confidence high after a highly professional victory in the Handicap Cote D'Or. While her previous attempts in graded company left something to be desired, she faces a significantly more wide-open field this time around and possesses the talent to take full advantage of the scenario.

My Pride (Daddy Long Legs) is another contender with several respectable minor placings on this surface, and it would be no surprise to see her heavily involved in the finish. On the other hand, Moto Ninja (Hat Ninja) steps up from the conditional ranks with plenty of optimism. Completing the field are Class Life (Fortify) and Reina Secreta (Víctor Security), both of whom look to provide some value but appear to sit a notch below the main protagonists on current form.