he eternal glory of El Derby waits to know the name of its new hero

This Sunday, the Sporting of Viña del Mar dresses up to host its best race of the season; Apolo Rey and Created, the candidates; the Argentine jockey Gustavo Calvente will ride Wallace

Apolo Rey, one of the candidates for El Derby 2026 / JAIME CORTÉS P.

By Fernando Ojeda V. / Diario El Crack Chile

VALPARAÍSO, Viña del Mar (Special for Turf Diario).- To speak of El Derby (G1) is plainly and simply to enter into one of the most traditional challenges of Chilean turf, and the III Stage of the National Triple Crown, vacant this season after the victories of Created (Mendelssohn) in El Ensayo (G1) and Apolo Rey (Mendelssohn) in the St Leger (G1), but which this season will have a distinctive seal as both will seek the victory in the 2,400 meters of competition this Sunday, February 1, at 7:45 p.m.

With 16 horses on the scene, 12 of them colts, 4 fillies, and with 7 G1 winners in the gates, the great race of the Valparaíso Sporting will deliver a coronation for the great champion of the 2025 generation and also a direct ticket to the Gran Premio Latinoamericano (G1) in Lima, Peru, next April.

Apolo Rey and Created, winners of the St Leger and El Ensayo, lead the colts this Sunday. Jorge González and Oscar Ulloa will be in charge of guiding the winners of the main G1s of Hipódromo Chile and Club Hípico de Santiago, and both are already settled on the Viña del Mar turf-sand where they have already scouted the stage, especially the representative of Luis Urbina who will compete on grass for the first time.

Created, meanwhile, hinted in his workouts that the long layoff means no problem at all, as he clocked under 11 seconds showing the conditions that led him to be the best colt at Blanco Encalada throughout the season.

The second line of colts that will be present this Sunday is led by Lorenzzo (Mendelssohn), the recent winner of the Copa Jackson (G2), followed by Good Deal (Good Samaritan), winner of the Copa El Mercurio, a listed achievement that earned him his spot in the big race with a great chance for victory, and Hotu Matua (Alfonso), the best element of the Viña del Mar generation.

All have merits and chances to give the favorites a hard time, backed by their records. To detail: Joaquín Orellana and Julio Orellana for the standard-bearer of Haras Don Alberto; Ignacio Valdivia and Mario Rabajille for the representative of Paula Inés, while Kevin Espina will be in the saddle of the Viña del Mar horse from Team Baeza.

A solitary paragraph for Teao (Ya Primo), the name that challenged the reign of Apolo Rey at La Palma, who will feature the mount of Luis Torres, the most beloved and respected jockey by the national racing fans. The standard-bearer of El Tata, backed by the excellent Julio Orellana, seems to have a main chance, but it must be remembered that his track beginnings were at Blanco Encalada and he did not manage to be a standout figure, something he was able to achieve in the Palmeño theater.

The list of colts continues with an unknown, Celtic Legend (Lookin At Lucky), whose layoff casts a mantle of doubt over his possibilities, but the time away from the track is explained by the fact that he already held a spot on the starting grid, subject to regulations, and did not need another laurel.

From there continue New Empire (Classic Empire), who confirmed a place this Sunday despite the fact that his participation in the Copa Jackson, the prelude to the big race, was not very expressive, as was Salto Eterno, both in search of revenge, while Wallace (Classic Empire) will attempt to make the breakaway last until the wire or at least for a place on the board, with the mount of the Argentine Gustavo Calvente.

The sequence of colts ends with Cartman (Distorted Economy) and Himalaya Spirit (Sahara Spirit), perhaps the most hopeful in the buildup, but whose victory would absolutely shake up the betting board.

It is worth noting that the distance record is held by Solaria (Scat Daddy) since 2014 with a time of 2m23s34/100 for the 2,400 meters of competition, and this season the so-called weaker sex will be very well represented, especially by Eccentric, one of the great protagonists of the generation at Blanco Encalada, winner of the Polla de Potrancas and the Nacional Ricardo Lyon, both G1, later finishing third in El Ensayo (G1) and second in Las Oaks (G1).

They will be joined in the attempt to emulate Lucky Red (Midshipman) —winner of the 2025 version— by Kiasora(Lookin At Lucky), the surprising runner-up to Created in the I Stage of the National Triple Crown at Blanco Encalada, and Noche Sublime (Mendelssohn), the surprising winner of Las Oaks (G1), the most prominent event for fillies on the capital's turf-sand.

Amada Mila (Flameaway), a horse with merits in the first semester at Club Hípico de Santiago who has not been able to regain her stride after her complete stable change, completes the legion of the "fantastic 4" who will seek to assert their merits against the twelve colts in the 2,400 meters of competition of the III Stage of the National Triple Crown, which will start this Sunday at 7:45 p.m. before a crowd that, according to the expectations of the Viña del Mar authorities, will exceed 30,000 people following the reopening of the Polo section managed by the Sportingorganization.