Joy Traviesa returns in the Handicap British Empire against tough rivals

Inactive since December, she faces Ma Perque and the experienced Ataka and Bichita de Luz in Monday's main event

After a weekend featuring highly interesting racing, the turf wheel will land once again at Hipódromo de Palermo this Monday to host a much more grounded program. With 14 races on the card, the centerpiece will be the Handicap British Empire, which will face winning mares 4 years old and up over 1,200 meters on the dirt.

The group of 9 confirmed runners is quite balanced, among which Joy Traviesa is preferred as she shakes off 154 days of inactivity. By Fortify and carrying 57 kilos, she bid farewell by crowning a series of important performances with a victory in the Handicap Borobeta, defeating A La Vista (Angiolo) by 1 1/2 lengths and leaving the prominent Ataka(Señor Candy) in fourth. The latter will cross her path again here, carrying the top weight of 61 kilos.

The chestnut from Stud Puey is coming off a loss by just a head against Furiosa Vis (Furious Key) in the Handicap Carlos Alberto Zarlengo, demonstrating her continued relevance and also that while the kilos are a factor, they are manageable.

The main adversary for the candidate is named Ma Perqué (Cosmic Trigger, 55), owned by Stud El Olimpo and trained by Hugo Pérez, who arrives riding a streak of 3 very good victories. In her most recent outing, she easily accounted for Traigo Paz (Equal Talent) by 3 1/2 lengths in a conditional race, clocking a time of 1m10s10/100. Now she steps up to stakes company, and everything will be much more complicated, but she has already shown she possesses the necessary class to shine at this level.

If kilos are medals, it is not for nothing that Bichita de Luz (Fragotero) will carry 60. Winner of the Luis Monteverde(L), Vale Dori, and Snow Figure classics, as well as the Especial Taba, the pupil of Marcelo Degregorio returns to an ideal distance to make the most of her abilities. She will have Leandro Galdeano in the irons, a jockey looking to reinsert himself into the circuit after a year away.