Long Kick claimed a victory that he gave his all for, edging out Sueño Argentino

The colt won the best allowance race of the afternoon at Palermo; Seleucia and Bella Marieta were among the other standout names from Monday

Long Kick crossed the finish line alone in the picture, but won by a narrow margin / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

The Monday race day at the Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo saw a good turnout of spectators, with Guiltless (Full Mast) taking the victory in the Clásico Farnesio, the day’s feature race. However, there were also several allowance races that deserve mention.

The highlight came in the Premio Elogioso, a 1800-meter contest on sloppy dirt for 3-year-old colts with 1 or 2 wins to their name, many of whom had either a past or future in stakes races.

In a thrilling finish, and making the most of the apprentice Wilfrido Torres Maldonado's allowance, Long Kick (Long Island Sound and Tukik, by Harlan’s Holiday, Haras Las Raíces) secured the win, just edging out Sueño Argentino (Equal Stripes), with whom he fought nearly from the start.

For the Stud Comalal colt, who had previously struggled over 1400 meters, this victory came by a head, clocking 1m50s, a clear indicator of how tough the track was. Carlos Cardón is in charge of the colt, who now has his eyes set on upcoming stakes races at this distance.

Earlier, the Premio Intérprete saw 3-year-old fillies with 1 win face off over 1200 meters on heavy dirt, with Seleucia (Daniel Boone and Say Sarah, by Catcher In the Rye, Haras Santa María de Araras) pulling off an upset at $21.10.

The filly from Stud Ailen y Nahuel, of Tandil, had just broken her maiden over 1000 meters and took the step up in distance and class with confidence, defeating Alma Para Soñar (Angiolo) by half a length in 1m11s58/100. The win was a family affair, with Tobías Canto guiding the filly, and Abel Magín Canto handling her training.

Finally, the 3-year-old filly Bella Marieta (Cosmic Trigger and Chlori's Prize, by Pure Prize, Haras Juan Antonio), wearing the colors of El Olimpo, kicked off her campaign with a victory in the Premio La Tiple, also on heavy dirt over a mile.

Backed by Juan Saldivia and Cristian Velázquez, the chestnut filly showed her class, battling down the stretch with her paternal sister Barbie New before edging her out by half a head in 1m37s.s17/100.