Gentlemen and that 1997 afternoon when Argentina conquered the Pacific Classic for the very first time

The superstar from Haras de La Pomme arrived at Del Mar as one of the towering figures of U.S. racing and defeated Siphon in a display forever etched in history; six years later, Candy Ride would repeat the feat

By Diego H. Mitagstein

Full Serrano (Full Mast) and Subsanador (Fortify) will once again place Argentina face-to-face this Saturday with one of those historical challenges that have traditionally suited its runners so well. It will take place in the Pacific Classic (G1), the signature race of Del Mar, contested over 2,000 meters with a $1,000,000 purse, where horses bred in our country have previously written unforgettable pages.

For Full Serrano, moreover, it will be familiar territory. Two years ago, he stood at the threshold of glory when finishing second by a mere half-length to Mixto (Good Magic) in a massive performance. Now he returns seeking redemption, joined under the sky-blue and white banner by Subsanador, another Argentine mainstay competing at the top level in the United States.

The relationship between the Pacific Classic and Argentina extends well beyond Full Serrano's near-miss. Two editions of the race were conquered by Argentine-breds. Candy Ride (Ride the Rails) delivered one of the most extraordinary performances of his undefeated career in 2003, setting a track record while defeating Medaglia d'Oro(El Prado). But long before him came Gentlemen.

Much earlier, in fact. It was in 1997 when that son of Robin des Bois and Elegant Glance (Loose Cannon), bred by Haras de La Pomme, became the first Argentine-bred to capture Del Mar’s signature contest.

That victory was neither a fluke nor a isolated miracle. Gentlemen arrived at the Pacific Classic established as one of the premier horses in North America, and left the oval an even larger figure.

He had won the Pimlico Special (G1), outdueling Skip Away (Skiptrial) in a thrilling battle, and followed it up by capturing the Hollywood Gold Cup (G1), leaving another legendary South American, the Brazilian Siphon (Itajara), four lengths behind. Del Mar awaited to complete a historic hat-trick.

Trainer Richard Mandella entered a formidable duo: Gentlemen and Siphon. The Argentine was installed as the heavy 1-5 favorite, with the Brazilian as the 2-1 second choice. Together, they had turned the American conditioner's barn into a winning machine across California’s premier handicap events.

Just one year prior, Mandella had orchestrated one of the biggest upsets in Pacific Classic history when Dare And Go(Alydar) snapped Cigar's (Palace Music) 16-race winning streak. Now he was back with the horse seemingly destined to inherit the crown.

Gentlemen did not have everything go his way that afternoon. Gary Stevens quickly realized the Argentine was not comfortable over the Del Mar surface. He was not gripping the track as usual and refused to change leads for nearly the entire trip. Yet, he won all the same.

Crafty Friend (Crafty Prospector) seized the early lead, Siphon stalked closely, and Gentlemen settled into third before briefly dropping back to fourth along the backstretch.

Stevens bided his time. Approaching the final 600 meters, Gentlemen made his move while Siphon launched his own bid. For a fleeting moment, the Pacific Classic boiled down to a head-to-head battle between Mandella's South American stablemates.

"It was a thrill to watch them join together at the three-eighths pole. You knew a great battle was coming, and it was exciting to watch," the trainer recalled afterward.

The duel proved shorter than anticipated. Gentlemen took command turning into the stretch and began to draw away. Siphon tried to match strides but could not keep pace. On the wire, 2 3/4 lengths separated the pair, with Crafty Friendanother four lengths back in third.

The Argentine stopped the clock at 2:00.40 for the 2,000 meters and collected $850,000, which included a $250,000 bonus for earning the highest points tally across a series that also encompassed the Santa Anita Handicap (G1) and the Hollywood Gold Cup.

A crowd of 26,476 at Del Mar witnessed a rare talent. "He is an incredible racehorse. He wasn't himself today, yet he decisively defeated one of the country's top handicap horses," Stevens noted. His words remain the definitive summary of that victory.

From Argentina to the USA

Before rising to stardom in the United States, Gentlemen was already a champion in Argentina. Bred by La Pomme, he compiled a dominant campaign in 1995, winning the Dos Mil Guineas (G1) over 1,600 meters at San Isidro, the Polla de Potrillos (G1) at Palermo, and the Gran Premio Nacional (G1) over the classic 2,500-meter trip at Palermo.

Jacinto Herrera was in the irons for those major triumphs, while Juan Carlos Etchechoury Jr. handled training duties. Gentlemen was crowned Champion 3-Year-Old Colt of that season.

His domestic campaign showcased a quality that would define his American career: absolute versatility. He proved capable of winning a G1 over a mile on the San Isidro turf, replicating the feat on the Palermo dirt, and then stretching out to 2,500 meters in the Nacional. He possessed brilliance, stamina, and a fierce competitive spirit.

His career trajectory shifted when he was transferred to the United States to join Mandella's barn. The transition was not seamlessly instant; in his U.S. debut on the Hollywood Park dirt, he finished sixth after setting the early pace.

However, the true Gentlemen quickly asserted himself. He rebounded with a victory on the Del Mar turf and concluded 1996 as one of California's most intriguing prospects. His victories included the Bay Meadows Breeders' Cup Handicap (G3), the Citation Handicap (G2), and notably the Native Diver Handicap (G3), where he romped by nine lengths while setting a track record for 1,800 meters at Hollywood Park.

It was merely the prelude to something far greater.

A Historic 1997 Campaign

Gentlemen kicked off 1997 by taking the San Antonio Handicap (G2), before finishing third behind Siphon and Sandpit (Baynoun) in the Santa Anita Handicap (G1).

That defeat proved a brief interlude. In May, he shipped to Baltimore for the Pimlico Special (G1), setting up a showdown with Skip Away, one of the top American horses of his generation.

It turned into an epic race. Gentlemen established the lead, and Skip Away came driving after him down the lane. Over the final strides, the grey closed relentlessly, but the Argentine held on to win by a half-length.

The caliber of that performance was reflected in the speed figures: he earned a staggering 125 Beyer, an elite mark even by the standards of the era's best handicap horses.

Next came the Hollywood Gold Cup. Once again Siphon. Once again Gentlemen. And once again, the Argentine proved superior.

He asserted control turning for home and pulled away to win by four lengths. It was his seventh victory in eight starts, prompting Gary Stevens to speak of him as the kind of horse a jockey rarely encounters in a career.

Then came Del Mar. The Pacific Classic. And true greatness. A horse worthy of being in the Horse of the Year conversation.

The older horse division that season was exceptionally deep, featuring Skip Away, Formal Gold (Black Tie Affair), Will's Way (Easy Goer), and Siphon, among others. Gentlemen did not merely belong to that elite group—for much of the season, he stood atop it.

He won four of his six starts that year, including three G1 races: the Pimlico Special, the Hollywood Gold Cup, and the Pacific Classic.

The ultimate objective was the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Hollywood Park. However, a major obstacle loomed: Gentlemen had not been nominated to the Breeders' Cup program, requiring his connections to pay a $800,000 supplemental fee. His owners were fully prepared to put up the money.

They never got the chance. A fever developed just weeks before the race, forcing Mandella to withdraw him from consideration. Gentlemen was sidelined for the Classic, which Skip Away subsequently won by six lengths.

It remains an enduring question what might have happened had the Argentine entered that race at peak fitness.

A Lasting Legacy

Gentlemen remained in training in 1998. He won the San Antonio Handicap (G2) again, placed third in the Hollywood Gold Cup, and earned runner-up finishes in the Pacific Classic, the Woodward (G1), and the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), before exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage began to compromise his form.

His final career start came in the historic 1998 Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs. His connections paid the $800,000 entry fee, but he suffered a severe bleeding episode during the race and could not show his true ability. He was subsequently retired.

What he left behind transcends raw statistics. Gentlemen was tough, gifted, and willful. Stevens captured his spirit after the Pacific Classic when explaining why he stopped trying to force him to switch leads: arguing was pointless with a horse weighing nearly 1,200 pounds when the rider weighed just 115.

Gentlemen did things his way. And in 1997, he performed as only true champions can.

On a surface he disliked, racing on the same lead virtually the entire distance, facing a formidable rival in Siphon, carrying heavy favoritism, and bearing the weight of a phenomenal campaign, he prevailed by 2 3/4 lengths to blaze the trail. Six years later, Candy Ride would fly the Argentine flag once more in the Pacific Classic, defeating Medaglia d'Oro and setting a track record for the 2,000-meter distance at Del Mar.

This Saturday brings two new opportunities. Full Serrano knows how close victory can be, having missed by just a half-length in the 2024 Pacific Classic. Now he returns for another attempt. Beside him stands Subsanador, adding another Argentine presence to a race with a special place in the country's racing history.

Before seeing what unfolds this time, it is worth looking back 29 years to the afternoon it all began—when an Argentine-bred horse arrived at Del Mar, met the best in North America, and permanently etched his name into the history of the Pacific Classic. His name was Gentlemen.