Grezzo and Don Feres Top Field of 13 for Gran Premio 25 de Mayo

The country’s most patriotic race will offer a purse of 70,000,000 pesos and is scheduled to be run next Sunday

Grezzo heads into the race off back-to-back outstanding victories at San Isidro / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

The Gran Premio 25 de Mayo (G1), the second most prestigious race of the season for older horses at San Isidro, trailing only the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini (G1), could feature as many as 13 starters, according to the list of entries released on Monday.

Contested over its traditional 2400 meters on turf, the race's main attraction lies in the anticipated clash between Grezzo(Hi Happy), who comes off consecutive wins in the Clásico Botafogo (G3) and the Gran Premio Miguel A. Martínez de Hoz (G1), and Peruvian star Don Feres (Singe the Turf), who has been back in Argentina for several weeks aiming to capture his first major international title.

Trained by Juan Suárez Villarroel and to be ridden by Martín Valle, the gray Don Feres was runner-up in the 2023 Longines Gran Premio Latinoamericano (G1) and finished third in the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini (G1) last December, where he finished ahead of Grezzo.

The patriotic feature is set for Sunday, May 25, and will be run alongside the Gran Premio de Potrancas (G1, 1600m, turf) and Gran Criterium (G1, 1600m, turf)—the only G1 juvenile turf races of the local season. The 25 de Mayo will offer a purse of 70,000,000 pesos, with 35,000,000 to the winner.

Other notable entries include Acento Final (Treasure Beach), winner of this year’s Gran Premio Jockey Club (G1); Brazilian invader Out of the Blue (Drosselmeyer), who just took the Clásico Porteño (G3); and Endo Verde(Endorsement), surprise winner of the Gran Premio Vicente Dupuy (G3) in San Luis.

Also among the possible runners are El Pulque (Heliostatic), runner-up in the Porteño; El Sauquillo (Il Campione); Honest Boy (Heliostatic); the mare Knows All (Le Blues); Mister Coquette (Bodemeister); Pecado Original (Global Hunter); Southern Secret (Southern Cat); and Touch the Stars (Fortify), runner-up in this same race last year behind Full Keid (Full Mast).

Final entries and rider confirmations will be accepted until noon on Monday, May 19, with the post position draw to be conducted virtually on Tuesday, May 20. All starters must pass a mandatory pre-race drug test with a negative result.