Lissette Island Puts Her Sprint Crown on the Line in the Panamá Stakes

The daughter of Lizard Island will seek to reinforce her status as the division leader when she heads Friday's feature for mares at Palermo

The attractive program assembled for Friday at Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo will be highlighted by the Clásico República de Panamá (G3), contested over 1,000 meters on dirt, where Lissette Island (Lizard Island) will put her leadership of the female sprint division on the line.

The representative of Stud El Káiser is enjoying the finest stretch of her career. She has won four of her last five starts, including her last three in succession, all at the stakes level. During that run she captured the General Güemes (G3), General Arenales (G3), Olavarría (G3), and España (L), and now returns seeking yet another graded victory.

The obvious question is: how do you beat the Córdoba-bred mare?

If she reproduces the form she has been showing in recent months, it is difficult to imagine any of the eight rivals she faces turning the tables, particularly considering she has already finished ahead of most of them. Typically settling off the pace before launching her powerful run approaching the final 500 meters, the bay looms as the clear horse to beat.

Returning from a 165-day layoff is the talented La Farce (Emmanuel), who left the scene at the peak of her powers. Her most recent appearance came in mid-December when she delivered an emphatic victory in the Clásico General Alvear (L). The key question now is how fit she will be after such a lengthy absence.

Another intriguing 3-year-old is La Bella Otero (Daddy Long Legs). She failed to fire in both the Gran Premio Félix de Alzaga Unzué (G1) and the Clásico Estados Unidos de América (G3), both against males, but her victories in the Clásico General Lavalle (G3) and the Clásico Venezuela (G2) firmly establish her among the principal dangers to the favorite.

Plenty of experience is represented by Enjoy Dancing (Hi Happy), Free Prize (Winning Prize), Jugadoraza (Winning Prize), and A La Vista (Angiolo), all of whom will be hoping circumstances finally fall their way.

Another noteworthy returnee is Forever You (Full Mast). More than two years ago she finished second to Piedra Preciosa (In the Dark) in the General Arenales (G3), defeating the subsequent Group 1 winner Ansia Clara (Angiolo) and several other accomplished rivals in the process. The question now is whether she still retains the spark that once made her one of the division's brightest prospects.

With Lissette Island at the peak of her powers and several accomplished rivals either returning from layoffs or seeking a return to their best form, the República de Panamá shapes up as a fascinating sprint contest. And unless one of her challengers produces something extraordinary, the current queen of speed appears poised to add yet another chapter to her remarkable run.