Lucas González continues to cement his rising profile with a string of important victories

The jockey delivered a perfectly judged ride aboard Bachata Queen in the G3 Lucio Taborda over La Plata’s dirt track

Bachata Queen’s team, with Lucas González at the center of the celebration / HLP

It was no ordinary victory that Bachata Queen delivered in Tuesday’s GIII Clásico Lucio Taborda at El Bosque. The filly confirmed her upward trajectory—but the spotlight also fell squarely on one of the most promising young riders in the colony, Lucas González, who read the race with maturity and cool-headed precision to steer her to a high-impact success.

“The race unfolded very smoothly,” González explained after dismounting. “She broke well, put herself right among the leaders, and I just let her find her rhythm early. From the 800-meter mark on, I let her roll. Turning for home she opened up a little, and then really kicked clear late.” The description perfectly captured the ride: unhurried at the outset, decisive when it mattered most.

The pace scenario helped, too. “We thought it might be run quicker, but everyone broke well and then most of them backed it off pretty soon. So it ended up being a more controlled race than expected,” added González, who adjusted instantly to a contest that proved less demanding on fractions than anticipated.

Beyond the result, the win again put the focus on the rider’s personal journey—one built steadily and with purpose. Born in the small Cordoban hamlet of Quebracho, near Embalse, Lucas began his schooling in Río Cuarto and completed his riding education in Almafuerte under the guidance of the Glades family before making the big leap to the metropolitan circuit. “After that, I moved to Palermo,” he sums up simply, fully aware that each step along the way shaped the present.

That present now finds him firmly established after a brief but intense apprenticeship. “After graduating last year, I kept riding plenty and the results helped. You definitely feel it a bit when the weight allowance is gone, but with work the mounts come back,” he says—echoing a challenge familiar to many young jockeys: proving yourself once the advantages disappear and the real professional test begins.

The victory with Bachata Queen at La Plata thus offers a double snapshot. On one hand, it confirms the quality of a filly on the rise. On the other, it underlines that Lucas González possesses not only talent, but also the composure and tactical acumen to handle big moments. Those traits, paired with how swiftly he has adapted since leaving the apprentice ranks, place him squarely among the names to watch in the new generation of Argentine riders.

In a profession where time can be unforgiving, González appears to have grasped the formula early: steady work, patience to wait for opportunity, and the resolve to seize it. The Lucio Taborda is already part of the recent past—but for Lucas, it may well mark a turning point in a career that is only beginning to reveal its full potential.