Marcelo Sueldo crowned a historic year for his 2-year-olds with Unica Forma in the Juvenile Fillies

The conditioner has amassed an incredible 41 victories with the juveniles under his care, and there could be no better way to conclude the semester than by capturing a Grade 1 triumph

Trainer Marcelo Sueldo has spent the first half of the 2026 racing season rewriting the record books in Argentina's competitive 2-year-old divisions. On Friday afternoon, the high-flying conditioner reaped the ultimate reward for his unprecedented juvenile onslaught, securing the Grade 1 Gran Premio Estrellas Juvenile Fillies on the opening day of San Isidro's marquee Carreras de las Estrellas festival.

The one-mile turf feature threw horseplayers a massive curveball, as Sueldo's heavily backed divisional spearhead Gota Clara Sos failed to fire. Instead, it was her unheralded barnmate Unica Forma who stepped into the spotlight, dictating terms from gate-to-wire to pull off a brilliant front-running victory for the Stud Pauli connections. The zaina clearly relished a yielding turf course that played exceptionally light and speed-favoring for late June, heavily rewarding horses capable of gaining early position.

Bred by the powerhouse Haras Vacación, the daughter of Full Mast had assumed a sacrificial, quick-tempo pacing role to aid Gota Clara Sos in the Grade 1 de Potrancas Stakes last month. While a repeat tactic was expected today, Unica Forma flipped the script. After a sharp beginning, jockey William Pereyra managed to get the filly to settle into a rhythm, throwing down moderate fractions while building a loose lead on the backstretch.

The tactical gamble paid off handsomely in the stretch. Unica Forma found plenty when asked, widening her advantage to safely turn away a late bid from the highly touted Ruby Rose by 2 1/2 lengths at the wire. Ruby Rose, making her first start against graded stakes company after a blowout debut win, lost no character in defeat.

Sabia Epona (Seize) completed the trifecta another 3 1/2 lengths back in third, while a flat Gota Clara Sos checked out early, finishing a distant seventh, beaten 23 lengths. The final clocking for the 1,600 meters was 1:37.25.

The Grade 1 trophy marked the second individual festival winner on the day for Haras Vacación, capping an extraordinary afternoon for rider William Pereyra. The elite jockey would later pilot Victoria Bayern (Santillano) to victory in the Estrellas Dirt to complete a spectacular, headline-grabbing triple.