Firmamento Dreams Big with Talented Duo Tiz Joy and Drive Joy

Juan Carlos Bagó’s Firmamento Strikes G2 Double with Tiz Joy and Drive Joy, Takes Command Among Juveniles at San Isidro's turf track

Tiz Joy Shows Her Class to Best Charm in the G2 Ramírez / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

Drive Joy Proves Much the Best in G2 Chevalier / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

It was nothing short of a dream Friday afternoon for Juan Carlos Bagó and the entire Haras Firmamento team at San Isidro, as Tiz Joy kicked off the celebration with a victory in the G2 Clásico Eliseo Ramírez and Drive Joy followed suit shortly after with a commanding win in the G2 Clásico Raúl y Raúl E. Chevalier—an unforgettable graded double for the iconic Argentine breeding operation.

Both winners are by Fortify, conditioned by Carlos D. Etchechoury, and were guided flawlessly by Martín Valle, who continues to shine as Firmamento’s go-to rider. The two stars further strengthened the grip of the seagull silks in the juvenile division, which also includes The Great Cash (The Great Day), a dominant presence on the dirt at Palermo following his G2 Clásico Santiago Luro triumph.

A standout on debut, Tiz Joy brought a touch of class to the turf, holding off Charm (Strategos) by half a length in a tight finish. Triple Alliance was forced to go solo after the late defection of Lessons of Life (Le Blues), and Charm did her part gamely. The pair tracked the leaders from off the pace, with Jeanette (Remote) setting a modest early tempo. As the field straightened, Charm dove toward the rail while Tiz Joy loomed outside, the two pulling away in tandem. In the final strides, the Tiznow granddaughter edged clear late, with Gata Frank (Gidu) checking in five lengths back in third and Jeanette bringing up the rear nearly 15 lengths behind.

Tiz Joy stopped the clock in 1:23.99 for the 1400 meters, a shade slower than the 1:22.59 Drive Joy posted a short while later in the Chevalier, where he turned the tables on Full Keynote (Full Mast), who had beaten him in their respective debuts but faded to fourth this time, running below expectations.

The blaze-faced colt, out of the French-bred Zip Drive (City Zip), tracked early leader Muchacho Calavera (Mask), took over turning for home, and did the rest with authority. He held firm by a length from his barnmate Real Rim (Remote), who closed well to complete a 1-2 finish for Firmamento, with Liberto (Hurricane Cat) another 3 1/2 lengths back in third.

It was a tremendous afternoon for Firmamento, whose colors were carried to victory by a pair of supremely talented juveniles. With Tiz Joy and Drive Joy now eyeing the top tier, all signs point to a jump into Grade 1 company next.