Kevin Banegas Reaches the Summit of the Jockeys’ Standings

With 274 victories overall, he moved one clear of Francisco Leandro and is virtually assured of the title

Qué Perfil Took Kevin Banegas to the Top of the Jockey Standings / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

With the double he posted during Monday’s card at Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo, jockey Kevin Banegas finally reached his goal, overtaking Francisco Leandro to move to the top of the national standings, 274 wins to 273 for the Brazilian.

While a check of the Stud Book Argentino lists 276 victories for Banegas, two of those wins are currently under review following positive post-race anti-doping findings and will be deducted, which is why he has only now been able to claim sole possession of the lead.

Banegas drew level by partnering Tulio (Southern Cat–Brangelina, by Freud) to victory in the Premio Postín (1500m, dirt), where the Stud Pompeya runner from Córdoba broke his maiden at age five on his tenth attempt. A short time later, the rider struck again to establish himself outright as the statistics leader, this time aboard Qué Perfil (Qué Vida Buena–Soy Diestra, by Sebi Halo, Haras Mi Complejo), successful in the fourth race, the Premio Noguchi (1000m, dirt), for older mares with two or three career wins.

With Francisco Leandro currently riding at the Meydan Carnival in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Banegas can now be virtually declared the winner of the jockeys’ championship. Gonzalo Borda, third in the standings, has 195 wins for the season and is no longer in contention.

Among the day’s condition races, the Premio Don Alba, for maiden 3-year-old fillies over 2000 metres on dirt, stood out. Remoulina (Remote–Opium Sale, by Not for Sale, Haras La Fortaleza) showed grit to prevail by a head over the heavily favoured Cala Nova (Treasure Beach), in a solid ride from Lucas González. Racing for Stud Los Raro of Río Cuarto, Córdoba, and prepared by Jorge Congestre, Remoulina had finished fourth on debut exactly one month earlier and took a significant step forward here, albeit in a modest time of 2:08.24 for the distance.

From a wagering standpoint, total handle reached ARS 469,171,047, averaging ARS 39,097,587 across the 12-race program—healthy figures that continue to underline Mondays as a strong betting day at Palermo. International commingled wagering contributed nearly ARS 57 million to the total, just under 13 percent of the handle.