Martana’s class proved too much for her rivals in the Ciudad de Montevideo

The Argentine mare landed a resounding victory on the Maroñas dirt, defeating the best local females to seal her first Grade I success

The joy of Martín Valle after celebrating his first Grade I victory outside Argentina / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

By Diego H. Mitagstein (Special correspondent for Turf Diario in Montevideo, Uruguay)

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (Special for Turf Diario).— With a smaller delegation this time, Argentine racing added another golden chapter at Hipódromo de Maroñas during the Gran Premio José Pedro Ramírez (G1) meeting. The spotlight belonged to the generous Martana, who made her superior credentials and class count, defeating the best local mares to capture the Gran Premio Ciudad de Montevideo (G1), run over 2000 meters on a surface presented in excellent condition.

It was a landmark success for her connections. The daughter of Fortify delivered a first international top-level victory for trainer Enrique Martín Ferro, jockey Martín Valle, and Stud Santa Inés, all of whom embraced the always-challenging task of traveling to compete with high hopes—and were richly rewarded.

There were clear talking points beforehand. Uruguay had not enjoyed a season of standout female stars, either among fillies or older mares, and that reality only amplified Martana’s chances. The prevailing thought was straightforward: if she handled the track and showed the form she routinely displays at Palermo, she would be unbeatable. That proved to be exactly the case.

Her superiority was decisive in the stretch, but evident throughout. Valle positioned her perfectly early, tracking the strong pace set by Brazilian raider Albion (Alpha), who carved out splits of :24.15, :46.22 and 1:10.46.

Around the turn, the Argentine rider was already struggling to contain the power beneath him, and once they straightened, it took little time for Martana to assert command. She was momentarily slow to change leads—perhaps the lone quibble in an otherwise brilliant performance—but once balanced, she steadily drew clear, snuffing out the late bid of fellow Brazilian Truco e Flor (Verrazano).

At the wire, it was a commanding 4 1/2-length margin, with local hope Vecchia Signorina (Verrazano) finishing third another four lengths back, in a final time of 2:03.05, with a mile split of 1:36.09.

Martana shone on the far side of the River Plate in her first international venture, finally landing the elusive Grade I triumph she had come close to twice on the dirt at Palermo. She now returns there with her sights set firmly on the Campeonato de Oro.