Juan C. Etchechoury Jr.: “I always knew Roshita was a filly to dream with”

The trainer added another G1 win to his remarkable career, this time with Rubio B.’s filly in the Jorge de Atucha

Carly Etchechoury returned to G1-winning form / HAPSA

Winning big races is nothing new for Juan Carlos Etchechoury (h.). His long and wildly successful career is filled with highlights, but that doesn’t stop the veteran trainer from celebrating each new milestone with the joy and emotion of a first-timer.

Now focused solely on preparing horses for Stud Rubio B., Carly enjoyed a particularly sweet success last Thursday when Roshita captured the G1 Gran Premio Jorge de Atucha at Palermo.

The win meant more than just adding another G1 trophy to the shelf—it also marked a step forward for promising young sire Gouverneur Morris (Constitution), in whom Haras La Pasión invested heavily with an eye toward the future.

“Even before she debuted, I had told my friends I had a filly I really liked,” Etchechoury said calmly, as always. “From the beginning, she did everything right. She was very forward in her training, but with class—not one of those overly precocious types that fizzles out later. Of course, she still had to prove it in the silks.”

And prove it she did. “She showed me I wasn’t wrong in the Unzué, winning impressively, and this time she took another step forward, doing everything so easily and with great authority,” he added. “She’s very relaxed in the mornings, extremely classy, and she’s a pleasure to train—she always responds when you ask. She’s matured, and I’m really excited about her.”

There had been whispers leading up to the Atucha that Roshita hadn’t been training well, but the trainer was quick to clarify: “She was doing great. It’s just that her breeze didn’t go to plan, which threw things off. Let me be clear: she didn’t work poorly—it was the setup that went wrong. But her final gallop was excellent, all her tests came back perfect, and that’s why we ran her. She never showed any signs of being off.”

As for what’s next, Etchechoury said: “Naturally, we’ll keep her on the stakes path. Before the Polla de Potrancas (G1), we’ve got the Juvenile Fillies de las Estrellas (G1), which will be run at Palermo this year. The ultimate goal is the Selección, but that’s still a long way off.”

The trainer also reflected on what the victory meant for Gouverneur Morris, who recorded a G1 double on May 1. “We’d been waiting a while for a filly like this to come along, and it happened with Gouverneur Morris. He’s a stallion with real momentum, and this was a big step forward for the farm. I’ve also got a colt by him who’s training very well, and a couple of fillies that still need time, but I think they’ll be quite useful—maybe even better going longer.”

He may no longer have the massive string of years past, when he trained for a wide variety of owners and stables, but Juan Carlos Etchechoury (h.) continues to do what he’s always done best: work hard, build champions, and stay ready for the big stage.