Gneisenau seeks his best victory in the Especial Jardy, over the turf mile

The daughter of Winning Prize comes off a runner-up finish to Gigantografía and faces a competitive field in Monday's feature race

Gneisenau has a fine opportunity to shine beyond the ordinary / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

Palermo will open its doors once again this Monday, a date for which it has reserved nearly all its best races. With a forecast of heat and even the possibility of rain, a total of 14 races will be held, centered around the Especial Jardy(1600m, turf)—a format that both the downtown track and San Isidro have adopted from La Plata.

For mares 5 years old and up with three or more wins—where weights were assigned based on races won with a 52-kilo base—eight participants will vie for the modest $6,400,000 pesos winner's purse. Gneisenau (Winning Prize, 54) seeks to leverage her still-fresh performance in the Handicap Tatán, where she finished five lengths behind a superior rival in Gigantografía (Bodemeister).

In that same event, Contrast (Safety Check, 52) finished fourth, just 1 1/2 lengths behind the candidate. This is a gap she could easily close today, considering they ran at equal weights in their previous meeting.

A different form line is provided by Lost Beach (Treasure Beach, 56), who recently pulled off an upset on the San Isidro dirt, taking advantage of a small field to win the Especial Perrier by six lengths over Princesa Candy (Señor Candy). If she repeats that performance, she should be in the mix once again.

Riding a wave of three consecutive victories in the north, Guerrera del Mar (Seahenge, 52) returns to Palermo to make her turf debut and attempt to extend her winning streak. Carrying the minimum weight, she has a strong chance of becoming the revelation of the race.

Reina Casada (Long Island Sound, 56) would have been the favorite in a contest like this some time ago, but her current form is not what it was during her best afternoons, leading to a slight downgrade in her considerations. However, if her trainer Enrique Martin Ferro persists, he must have his reasons.

Finally, an option must be given to Timberlay (Portal del Alto, 52), another runner carrying a light weight who showed an interesting version of herself when finishing second to Elvi Grace (Southern Cat) in a rigorous allowance race.