Le Cornette defended his title in the Gran Premio Estrellas Sprint
- Turf Diario
- hace 1 hora
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On the verge of his 7-year-old campaign, the brilliant chestnut representing the powerhouse Stud Chajarí partnership successfully defended his crown, delivering a dominant performance to secure back-to-back victories in the Carreras de las Estrellas’ premier speed showcase
A title defense in the Gran Premio Estrellas Sprint (G1) proved an absolute triumph for Le Cornette (Emmanuel), who became only the fourth horse in racing history to capture multiple renewals of the premier speed showcase since the inception of the Carreras de las Estrellas festival.
Following in the legendary footsteps of the unforgettable mare Wally (Southern Halo), who swept the event three times between 1995 and 1997, as well as dual winners Elogiado (Archipenko) in 2018–2019 and Labrado (Le Blues) in 2023–2024, the brilliant chestnut homebred for Stud Chajarí carved out his permanent place in turf lore. He did so by delivering a thoroughly dominant performance, pressing the pace from the opening strides, dispatching his longtime rival Labrado early—who faded to a disappointing fifth—and proving that despite being on the threshold of his 7-year-old campaign, his elite brilliance remains completely intact.
Returning to the expansive San Isidro grass straightaway, the exact course where he first flashed brilliant juvenile potential with a victory in the Clásico Congreve (L), the son of Emmanuel successfully rebounded from a pair of lackluster defeats on the Palermo dirt. Ridden aggressively from the gates, Le Cornette quickly established himself among the vanguard, asserted command past the halfway mark, and dug down resolutely late to turn back a furious, closing challenge from Land of Promise (Le Blues), securing the trophy by a hard-fought half-neck.
The progressive sophomore Martinique (Señor Candy) turned in a highly encouraging effort to check in third, an additional half-length adrift, closely flanked by Hiran (Santillano) in fourth and a flat Labrado in fifth, who was never able to mount his trademark closing kick and continued a recent trend of inconsistent form.
Sprinting over a characteristically demanding winter turf course, Le Cornette stopped the clock in a sharp 57.64 seconds for the 1,000 meters. The victory instantly solidifies his credentials as he prepares to defend another major title: the definitive crown for Champion Sprinter.
Officially saddled by Miguel Medina—stepping in for trainer Gerardo Alteño, who was recently handed a provisional suspension—Le Cornette notched his twelfth career victory and pushed his lifetime earnings past the 162 million pesos mark, demonstrating that time has done nothing but refine his exceptional talent.
