Lunfardo needed a wake-up call before becoming unstoppable

The son of Daddy Long Legs found his best stride in the homestretch and swept right past his four rivals in the Clásico Telescópico

For much of the 1300-meter trip in Wednesday's feature event at San Isidro, the Clásico Telescópico, it was hard to imagine that Lunfardo (57 kg.) would end up winning with such authority. The heavy favorite traveled awkwardly,urged along early by jockey William Pereyra and well off the sharp rhythm he had displayed when capturing the Clásico Old Man (G3). Once he found his stride in the homestretch, however, everything changed—and when he hit top gear, there was simply no stopping him.

Making his first career appearance over a distance as short as 1300 meters likely explained his initial struggles.Accustomed to longer routes, the Stud Las Canarias colorbearer struggled to settle early while Desigual (Nicholas,57) and Arc Village (Angiolo, 56) set the pace through fractions of 23.95 and 47.24 seconds. Pereyra had to keep scrubbing on the colt continuously just to stay in touch over a tempo that did not suit his natural running style.

The story shifted dramatically upon turning into the stretch. Lunfardo angled toward the center of the track, balanced himself, and began eating up ground with a burst of power that contrasted sharply with his early effort. Up front, his four rivals were still locked in battle for the lead, unaware of the danger charging from behind. Inside the final 100 meters, the son of Daddy Long Legs swept past them, took command, and drew clear with striking ease.

At the wire, 1 1/2 lengths separated him from runner-up Mister Market (Market Rally, 56), while Desigual rounded out the trifecta ahead of Black Stripes (Equal Stripes, 56) and Arc Village. The final time was clocked at 1:16.44 over the San Isidro dirt, a surface on which Lunfardo had previously been winless. Adding extra significance to the outcome, the top two spots were swept by 3-year-olds competing against older horses.

The victory arrived at a pivotal moment in his campaign. Lunfardo had first turned heads during the sophomore stakes series by winning the Old Man over 1400 meters at Palermo, edging El Gibson (Uncle Chuck) by a neck. Subsequent outings failed to match that standard, as he finished sixth in the Clásico Miguel Cané (G2) and fourth in the Clásico Candy Ride (L), leaving lingering questions. Without the benefit of a tailor-made setup and facing open company, he rediscovered the explosive turn of foot capable of keeping him in the stakes spotlight.

Trained by Juan Saldivia and bred by Haras Los Turfistas, the bay colt—out of Luna Inc (Include)—notched his third win from seven lifetime starts. It also marked his second stakes triumph and his first at San Isidro, following two earlier victories at Palermo.

More than a simple bounce-back performance, the Telescópico sent a clear message: even when a race does not unfold to his liking, Lunfardo possesses the raw talent to overcome adversity. It took him time to find his rhythm, but once he did, he proved simply too much for the field.