Lissette Island builds a wall to extend her dominant form
- Turf Diario
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
The Lizard Islands filly makes a triumphant return to grass with a courageous win in the Clásico Olavarría
The stellar form of the Córdoba-based Lissette Island continues to reach new heights. To her impressive string of performances on the Palermo dirt, she has now added a layer of versatility, shining just as brightly on the grass at San Isidro to capture Saturday’s Clásico Olavarría (G3), the afternoon's featured sprint over 1,000 meters.
Her performance came as no surprise to those tracking her career; in her only previous outing on the turf, she had finished a close second to G2 winner Dream Serena (Forge), finishing ahead of G2 winner Obra Clásica (Suggestive Boy).
The daughter of Lizard Island was unstoppable from the jump, seizing the lead and resisting pressure throughout. Maintaining a strong but measured tempo—clocking splits of 22.62 and 44.49 over a firm course—she forced her rivals to feel the weight of her experience and class.
La Combatiente (Le Blues) attempted to put her in trouble for a significant portion of the race, but when jockey Martín Valle called for her best, the response was ideal. Lissette Island kicked clear, building a metaphorical wall to keep the closers at bay.
In a blanket finish, Forever Rim (Remote) secured second, just a half-neck behind the winner. Save Your Tears (Full Mast) rallied furiously to take the final spot on the podium, only a half-head further back. Free Prize (Winning Prize) and La Meninha (Le Blues) finished in a dead heat for fourth, a neck behind, with La Combatiente completing the frame another half-head back.
Only a half-length separated the winner from the sixth-place finisher, a testament to the competitive nature of the field. However, it was the Turf Diario favorite who asserted her dominance, stopping the clock in 56.76.
Campaigned by Stud El Káiser and trained by Germán Knuttsen, the Haras La Fortaleza-bred mare has now notched her seventh victory in just 13 starts. It marks her fourth stakes win, following scores in the General Güemes (G3) and General Arenales (G3) at Palermo, and the Caballerizas Argentinas at La Plata. With her versatility proven, the question now remains: will she be among the entries for the upcoming Gran Premio Ciudad de Buenos Aires (G1)?
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