Gritty Manicura Rusa Goes All the Way
- Diego Mitagstein
- May 1
- 2 min read
Manicura Rusa Scores Career-Best Win Approaching Age Seven
It was a long time coming, but Manicura Rusa (Arg) finally had her moment in the spotlight. Carrying 55.5 kilos, the daughter of Zensational turned in the performance of her life to capture Wednesday’s Handicap Neapolis—the feature event at San Isidro—and earn her long-awaited first black-type success.
Racing true to form, the 6-year-old mare went straight to the lead and never looked back, building her victory one stride at a time with a confident ride from Francisco Lavigna. Allowed to take things easy through the opening fractions, she kicked clear around the far turn and reached the top of the stretch with a clear advantage as her rivals scrambled behind.
The rest was all grit and determination. Despite a mild late bid from Expert Advice (Il Campione, 56.5 kilos), Manicura Rusa stayed on gamely to score by two lengths, stopping the clock in 1:36.36 for the mile over a fast main track. Fractions were :25.05, :47.57 and 1:11.41.
Priola (South Kissing, 53) finished third by a head, while the favored Noche Plateada (In the Dark, 59) never threatened and checked in fourth, another 1 1/2 lengths back.
Bred by Haras La Pasión, racing for Stud Morove, and trained by Héctor S. Rodríguez, Manicura Rusa was making her 56th career start and came in off a pair of placings in the allowance ranks. The victory was her sixth overall and easily the most important, pushing her career earnings past the 20 million peso mark.
It was a richly deserved reward for a mare who has shown nothing but heart and resilience throughout her campaign—and she may not be done just yet.
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