For the 2026 Gran Premio Latinoamericano, The Gladiator’s Hat will break from post 2, while Thor Medina drew gate 13

The post-position draw for the 42nd edition of the continental event was held Tuesday at the Casino Atlantic City in Miraflores

The Gladiator's Hat (Hat Ninja) and Thor Medina (Mootasadir), Argentina’s representatives for Saturday’s Gran Premio Latinoamericano (G1) on the turf at Hipódromo de Monterrico in Lima, Peru, drew posts 2 and 13, respectively, following Tuesday’s draw held at the Casino Atlantic City in Miraflores. As usual, there were reactions of satisfaction and others lamenting less favorable positions. Over a course with two turns and a very short stretch, the break will be crucial.

Mariano Semowoniuk, part of the team behind The Gladiator’s Hat and Stud Haras El Angel de Venecia, commented: “We wanted an inside draw, so we’re happy. The idea is not to be far back, because our horse is more even, a stayer, and we believe you can’t give away too much ground in this kind of race.”

According to the draw, the starting order for the Latinoamericano will be: 1) Pivot Central (Salto, Brazil), 2) The Gladiator’s Hat (Argentina), 3) Puppi’s Husband (Fortify, Peru), 4) Maria Luisa (Singe the Turf, Peru), 5) Khamal (Mendelssohn, Peru), 6) Galikovic (Goldikovic, Uruguay), 7) Magic Power (Power World, Peru), 8) Teao (Ya Primo, Chile), 9) Boudica (The Lieutenant, Peru), 10) Olympic Oman (Camelot Kitten, Brazil), 11) Padre Roberto (Hurricane Cat, Peru), 12) Medjool (Constitution, Chile), 13) Thor Medina (Argentina), 14) Kanko (Newfoundland, Peru) and 15) Apolo Rey (Constitution, Chile).

Among those less pleased was Jorge González, the Chilean rider set to partner Apolo Rey: “I don’t like post 15. Not being able to choose wasn’t ideal, but I trust my horse because good ones overcome everything. It’s a fairly narrow track and I’ve got several fast rivals to my outside, so I hope to work my way inward. If the pace is quick, we can settle a bit farther back and look for the best path, not too far from the rail,” he told Global Media Turf on Objetivo Latino. González already owns a Latinoamericano trophy, having won the 2022 edition at Hipódromo Chile with O’Connor (Boboman).

Facundo Santesteban, trainer of Galikovic (Goldikovic), Uruguay’s hope at Monterrico, also shared his thoughts: “We spoke with the owner and jockey about not changing his style too much, and if he needs to be close to the leaders, he will be. He’s a quick horse, but versatile.”

Miguel Vilcarima will ride Magic Power, one of the most experienced runners in the field. “The horse is doing very well; he broke sharply from the gate in his last work. It’s a tough race, but he’ll arrive in top shape and that’s what matters. Last time he came from off the pace after a poor break and still won, so we got rid of that idea that he only likes to go forward. He’s not a great gate horse, and we’ve been working on that; I think it’s something we’ve overcome.”

Danilo Chávez Abad, President of the Jockey Club del Perú, welcomed the participating delegations to the 42nd edition of the Latinoamericano during Tuesday’s event and highlighted the importance of specialized media in promoting the details of the most important race in this part of the continent, which will be available for wagering across the region, with the exception of Chile. He concluded by noting that this is a race for everyone and that integration should always prevail on occasions like this.