Holy Joy and Davalos seek to regain their form, but Western Orpen has other plans

An intriguing matchup is set to unfold this afternoon over 1,800 meters in the Handicap Stiletto on the dirt course

Holy Joy winning the Gran Premio Montevideo at Palermo as a 2-year-old / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

A total of 14 races will be contested this Wednesday at Hipódromo de San Isidro, featuring several conditional races for 3-year-olds (optional) that elevate the quality of the program. The feature event is the Handicap Stiletto, set over 1,800 meters on the auxiliary dirt track for horses 4 years old and up, offering a purse of 7,150,000 pesos to the winner.

Drawing an 8-horse field, the roster features two stakes winners striving to return to top form: G1 winner Holy Joy(Fortify, 58 1/2 kg) and Davalos (Hi Happy, 58 kg), the latter returning from a lengthy absence.

Bred and raced by Stud Haras Firmamento, Holy Joy was one of the finest colts of his generation, capturing the Gran Premio Montevideo (G1) and the Clásico Miguel Cané (G2). However, he has struggled to recapture that brilliant form ever since, though he continues his quest to do so. After returning to action in a conditional race in early June where he failed to fire, can he get back on the winning path today?

Davalos (58 kg), meanwhile, has been on the sidelines for 242 days, having gone on hiatus following a disappointing effort in the Clásico Ayacucho (G3). Winner of the Clásico Italia (G3) last season and third in the Organización Sudamericana de Fomento del SPC (G3), he aims for a comeback performance that will re-establish his standing.

Stud Las Monjitas heads into this contest riding high after Zaatar (Hurricane Cat) won the Handicap Potrillazo on Monday at Palermo, and they now pin their hopes on Western Orpen (Orpen, 53 kg), who carries a feather weight. While he dipped below form in the Clásico Perú (G2), he had previously finished third in the Handicap Val D'Or and second in a pair of sweepstakes.

Entering off strong performances in conditional races are the Brazilian-bred Oh l'Amour (Drosselmeyer, 54 1/2 kg) and Memin Penguin (Strategos, 51 1/2 kg), both carrying light weights as they look to spring an upset.

Multiple stakes winner at Rosario in the Clásico Independencia, Roterdam (Puerto Escondido, 56 kg) returns to the major tracks with confidence high and aspirations of making an impact.

Hi Dolfi (Hi Happy, 52 kg) and Jardín Secreto (Endorsement, 55 kg) also enter with intentions of fighting for the finish. And they certainly have every right to...