Mani Girl and Pancho Gio: Names to Watch
- Turf Diario
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
The filly and the colt both sparkled over a heavy dirt mile and are now being pointed toward the upcoming Grade 1 fixtures
Heavy rains forced Saturday’s scheduled turf fixtures at San Isidro onto the main track, but the change in surface did little to dampen the rising profiles of two-year-olds Mani Girl and Pancho Gio. Both sophomores relished the testing heavy dirt mile as they began to set their sights on the upcoming Argentine Classics.
The fillies kicked off the action in the Premio Qualified Colony, where Mani Girl (Daddy Long Legs) found redemption following two prior efforts to break her maiden with authority. A homebred for Haras Abolengo conditioned by Nicolas Martin Ferro, the bay filly showed a combination of tactical speed and grit under Kevin Banegas. After stalking the early pace of Laguna Candy (Señor Candy), she dug deep in the lane to repel the late challenge of favorite Estrella de Luz (Cosmic Trigger) by a length. The winner is a half-sister to G2 winner Mannarino (Cosmic Trigger) and stakes winner Mani Boy (Asiatic Boy).
While Mani Girl stopped the clock in 1:38.56, the colts proved significantly faster in the Premio Incásico, led by a highly professional debut from Pancho Gio. The Haras Firmamento homebred sat last early before launching a wide, sweeping move on the turn. Under Martin Valle, the gray colt exerted his dominance in the final 150 meters to score by 3/4 of a length over Barto (Pneumatic) in a sharp 1:37.02.
The victory marked the first for trainer Lucas Gaitan since taking the helm for Juan Carlos Bagó’s powerhouse operation. A son of Caravaggio, Pancho Gio was imported in utero from the U.S. and boasts a world-class pedigree; his second dam, High Fidelity (Peintre Celebre), is a sister to the legendary European champion and Arc winner Hurricane Run (Montjeu). Given his stout lineage, Pancho Gio is expected to flourish as the distances increase.
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