Martana at Maroñas: The Chronicle of a Planned Victory

Enrique Martín Ferro and Martín Valle celebrated their first international victory with the daughter of Fortify

Martana, Martín Valle, and Enrique Martín Ferro, a formidable team / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

By Diego H. Mitagstein (Special Correspondent to Montevideo, Uruguay)

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (Special for Turf Diario).— While some victories can be chalked up to luck, Martana’striumph in last Tuesday’s Gran Premio Ciudad de Montevideo (G1) at Maroñas belongs in a different category: those achieved through meticulous strategy and clinical patience. For Enrique "Quique" Martín Ferro and Martín Valle, crossing the wire first at the storied Uruguayan venue represented more than just their first international G1; it was the validation of a program that prioritizes equine welfare and precise situational analysis.

Following the celebration, the trainer’s composure during an interview with Global Media Turf reflected the confidence of a man who knew exactly what he had in the shedrow. "I was calm because the mare was doing great in every sense; sound, energetic, and very well-adapted to the track," the conditioner analyzed. For him, Maroñasproved to be the ideal setting: "It’s a fair track, no traps, firm but with a loose top layer. She is a high-quality dirt runner, and we knew the surface wouldn’t be an issue."

The victory for the daughter of Fortify was, in her trainer’s words, an act of poetic justice. After finishing as the bridesmaid to runners like Sarawak Rim (Remote) or losing heartbreakers by the narrowest of margins, the Stud Santa Inés homebred found her crowning moment. "We set our sights on this race after analyzing the local fillies. We knew there wasn't a superlative standout and that Martana has the class to travel—a crucial factor when navigating the bureaucratic hurdles of transport, which are sometimes longer than the flight itself," Quiqueexplained.

For Martín Valle, the win provided the finishing touch to a dream 2025 and a start to 2026 that keeps him at the top of the standings. At just 30 years old, the pilot reached his 20th G1 victory, but this one carried a special significance.

"The mare allows me to show what I want to do. The race went exactly as planned: tracking close, fourth at most. At the six-furlong mark, she wanted to do too much; I held her as long as I could, and though she struggled a bit to change leads at the 400-meter pole, once she did, she showed that elite turn of foot. She drew off easily," said Valle, who spent the days leading up to the race studying the local jockey colony and track biases.

One of the most compelling points of the conversation was the decision to abandon the turf. Quique was blunt: "She went back to the grass after a hip injury thinking it would be easier on her, but she wasn't herself. When I asked her to run, she refused. I didn't want to accept a failure knowing it could happen. We decided to wait and come to Maroñas, and we weren't wrong."

Martín Ferro also recalled with a laugh the mare's debut at five furlongs, an unusual distance for her pedigree: "She was outrunning me in the morning works. I told Sandro (Misserocchi): 'I'll debut her in the kilometer just to let her blow off some steam; they’ll probably outprint her by several lengths, but she’ll show something.' She ended up winning by a length and a half, and I asked myself: 'Now what do I do?'" Since that start, the bay has proven to be an all-terrain star that now ranks in the Top 3 of the best mares to pass through Quique’s hands for Santa Inés, alongside names like Nanabush (Il Campione) and Nanda Dea (Fortify).

Regarding Martana’s future, Martín Ferro was clear: "I don’t think she’s a mare to take to the United States. She will likely continue her campaign at Palermo during the first semester, and then we’ll decide. She is a consummate professional and deserves to keep giving us joy at home."

The Argentine delegation returns with the trophies in their luggage and the satisfaction of having honored our horses' tradition abroad. For Valle, there is the reunion with his daughter and the celebration with a team that runs like a Swiss watch. For Argentine racing, there is the certainty that when study, talent, and health align, victory is only a matter of time.