Mi Negra Paula Aims for Another Strong Victory

The mare from Stud Los Machitos stands out in the Especial Perrier on the San Isidro dirt

Mi Negra Paula es carta para el especial de San Isidro / ARCHIVO / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

For a Wednesday, it’s fair to say things won’t be as dull as usual at Hipódromo de San Isidro. With several races rescheduled from Sunday, the class of the day will be provided by the Especial Perrier, contested over 1,400 meters on the dirt for mares 5-year-olds and up with three or more wins.

Offering a winner’s purse of a meager 4,100,000 pesos, the race features the highly consistent Mi Negra Paula as the heavy favorite, despite carrying the top weight of 60 kilos (132 lbs). The daughter of Reflecting, representing Stud Los Machitos, comes off a victory in the Especial Badruddin, where she defeated Rollanda (Bodemeister) by 1 1/2 lengths.

A dangerous rival will be Princesa Candy (Señor Candy, 56), who, after a solid run through the allowance ranks, returned to the stakes level with a very good effort in the Handicap Rafale, finishing behind two talented runners in Victoria Bayern (Santillano) and Blessed Shine (Honour Devil).

The third choice is Kelly Rose (Il Campione, 58), who, if she recovers her best form, could win a race like this without much trouble. She is coming off a fourth-place finish behind Mi Negra Paula, 4 1/4 lengths back in the Especial Badruddin, but her resume includes a win in the Handicap Academia Nacional de Agronomía y Veterinaria and several strong graded-stakes placings.

Expert Advice (Il Campione, 56) was a total disappointment at Hipódromo de La Plata and now returns to a track where she generally performs well. For that reason, she must be respected.

The field is completed by Lost Beach (Treasure Beach, 56) and Celestial (In the Dark, 56), both looking to pull off an upset.