Lone Ranger, from outsider to first in the 1000 meters of the Clásico Jerry Honor

The Le Blues colt, coming off a win in the alternative ranks, shone in Saturday’s feature

Hugging the rail, Lone Ranger proved uncatchable / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

The Clásico Jerry Honor, the featured event of Friday’s card at Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo, was settled with an unexpected victory by Lone Ranger, who dominated the 1000-meter dash over a fast dirt track.

Running under weight-for-age conditions and dismissed by bettors, the Le Blues (Roman Ruler) colt ignored the fact that he was stepping up from the alternative ranks, making an emphatic statement in stakes company and taking a giant leap in the sprinting division.

Except for his debut, the Stud Cachu runner had never done much wrong. However, his drop into weaker conditional company had raised questions beforehand, reflected in his long odds. Yet, as often happens, once the gates opened, the 526-kilo dark bay was simply unstoppable.

With Gonzalo Borda in the irons, Lone Ranger broke from post 1 and quickly angled toward the outside, engaging En Un Rincón (Manipulator) in an early speed duel. By the 250-meter mark, he began drawing clear and finished unchallenged, hitting the wire three lengths ahead of El Paradigma (Il Campione).

Another 1 1/2 lengths back, heavy favorite Qué Ta Güeno (Qué Vida Buena) could do no better than third in the five-horse field, looking off balance from the start and lacking his usual late kick. The final time of 55.68 was solid on a track playing slow.

Bred by Haras El Paraíso and trained by Fabián Echenique, Lone Ranger became the 18th stakes winner sired by the remarkable Le Blues. Out of Devious Zebra (Incurable Optimist), he hails from the family of G1 winners Fontana (Farnesio), Fontemar (Babor), First One (Southern Halo), and Flirteador (Southern Halo).

This marked the fourth and most significant victory for Lone Ranger in just nine career starts. With such a strong performance, he has taken an important step toward joining the top echelon of the sprint division.