Grandinata and Turbo Ship Capture Maroñas Criteriums

The filly regained her dominance, while the colt stepped up in place of Touch of Destiny, who earned a spot in the Breeders’ Cup and will now head to the United States

Turbo Ship Takes Over from Touch of Destiny Among the Colts / MAROÑAS

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (Special for Turf Diario).- The impressive performance of 2-year-old Touch of Destiny (Midshipman) in capturing an unprecedented victory over older horses in the Clásico Asociación Uruguaya de Propietarios de Caballos de Carrera (G3) and securing a spot in the upcoming Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) this November at Del Mar, California, added a standout moment to a stellar Sunday card at Hipódromo de Maroñas.

The day also featured the strongest races of the year for the 2-year-olds: the Clásico Gran Premio Criterium Potrancas(G2, 1400m, dirt) and the Gran Premio Gran Criterium Potrillos (L, 1400m, dirt), both run over a wet track.

Among the fillies, Grandinata (Trinniberg x Granduca by Exchange Rate, Haras Don Carlos) reclaimed her leadership, emphatically avenging a prior defeat by favorite Truco e Flor (Verrazano) in the Clásico Treinta y Tres Orientales (L). Representing Cabaña El Indio, Grandinata won by 6 ½ lengths in 1:23.21, confirming her status as the division’s top contender.

Jockey Waldemar Maciel guided the filly trained by Sergio Dorneles, who capped a formidable semester that included wins in the Juan Amoroso and Benigno Paiva Irisarri classics.

In the colt’s Criterium, Turbo Ship (Midshipman x Mama Mía by T.H. Approval) stepped up in place of his stablemate Touch of Destiny with a spectacular six-length victory over Goldcross (Goldikovic), stopping the clock at 1:23.39—just marginally slower than Grandinata’s time.

A Phillipson Stud homebred and previous winner of the Alvaro Vargas Guillemete and Jorge W. Larrañaga Fragaclassics, the chestnut colt is trained by Raimundo Soares and ridden by Evair Pereira.

Another highlight was the Clásico Reapertura del Hipódromo Nacional de Maroñas (L, 1000m, dirt), where heavy favorite Metido a Bacana (Put It Back), fresh off being crowned Champion Sprinter, failed to make a winning start to his new status, finishing a close fourth—just 1 ¼ lengths behind Pelagio (Overanalize x Sunday by Layman). Pelagio, trained by Luis Cabrera for Stud-Haras Santiago de Compostela and piloted by Evair Pereira, gave his rider a double on the day.