Garufa Mask regained his top form and dismantled his rivals in the Clásico Refinado Tom

The Stud Tinta Roja runner led wire-to-wire and dominated Glorioso Rim by 8 lengths in Wednesday's feature race

SAN ISIDRO, Buenos Aires (Especial para Turf Diario).— Heading into the Clásico Refinado Tom (L-1,200 m, fast dirt), the feature event on Wednesday's 11-race card at Hipódromo de San Isidro, the consensus was that, at his peak, Garufa Mask would have won a field like this virtually in his sleep.

The son of Mask rekindled that old spark and put on a devastating display to return to the winner's circle after a 13-month drought, putting behind him a string of performances in which he had gone completely unnoticed.

Carrying 57 kilos, the Stud Tinta Roja runner was once again the horse of his prime, asserting total control over his rivals while setting a demanding tempo throughout.

With William Pereyra in the irons, the dark bay broke cleanly to grab the early lead, clicking off fractions of 23.39 and 46.57 seconds. Early on, Príncipe Soñado (Fragotero, 57 1/2) attempted to press the pace, but as they hit the home straight, he began to tire.

From that point forward, the $2.00 favorite pulled away from the pack with ease and, without being fully extended, crossed the wire with an 8-length margin over Glorioso Rim (Remote, 55 1/2). A neck back, completing the trifecta and making a strong return from a long layoff, came topweight Say It Fast (Cosmic Trigger, 58 1/2).

The winning time was a brilliant 1:09.88. Garufa Mask now holds a career record of 6 victories from 20 starts, boosting his earnings to 43,799,100 pesos. Four of those triumphs have come in black-type company; he broke his maiden in the Especial Patria at La Plata before adding the Clásico Asociación Argentina de Fomento Equino (L) and the Clásico Gendarmería Nacional Argentina to his record, now topped by his latest success at San Isidro.

Saddled by Carlos Vigil, bred by Haras La Valkiria, and originally named Nevertino, Garufa Mask is out of the British mare I'mneverwrong (Compton Place), who had already produced the solid runner Nunca Digas Never(Hurricane Cat), Neverlandya (Falling Sky), as well as Corazón de Reina (Alpha Plus) and Skaramuza (Falling Sky), both already proving to be quality broodmares.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nndoyE_XNKM