Nanabush, a dream U.S. debut for Argentine champion

the daughter of Il Campione trained by Ignacio Correas IV and ridden by Horacio Karamanos, went wire to wire to capture a one-mile allowance optional claiming at Colonial Downs

Nanabush Flaunts Her Power at Colonial Downs / GENTILEZA ELLEN PONS

By Diego H. Mitagstein

South American turf—and Argentina in particular—is no stranger to producing international success stories. Of course, setbacks are part of the game, but the highs often shine brighter.

This past week, a fresh highlight emerged at Colonial Downs, the respected and demanding Maryland circuit, courtesy of Nanabush, Argentina’s 2024 Horse of the Year.

Making her first start in the Northern Hemisphere, the daughter of Il Campione (Chi) lived up to the lofty expectations, taking Saturday’s sixth race—a $50,000 allowance optional claiming with a $74,000 purse—over one mile on the turf in decisive front-running style.

Trainer Ignacio Correas IV had been bullish ahead of the debut of the Stud-Haras Santa Inés homebred (racing in the U.S. for Happy Friday LLC). “She couldn’t look better or be training better for this spot, but it’s been a while since she last ran and debuts here can always bring surprises,” he admitted beforehand.

There were no such surprises when the gates opened. Despite not having raced since mid-December, Nanabush looked razor sharp, showing her best self to lead from the start under Horacio Karamanos. Breaking from the rail, she quickly established command, setting honest splits of :23.64, :46.81, and 1:10.60. By the far turn the race seemed in hand, though the stretch run remained a test.

The chestnut answered that challenge with authority, kicking on strongly to the wire to defeat the South African import Distant Winter (SAf) (What a Winter)—ridden by Jorge Ruiz Díaz—by 1 1/2 lengths. The final time over the inner turf was 1:34.77, with a closing split of :12.58. Bettors had made Nanabush the favorite, and she returned $6.00 for a $2 win ticket.

“She left me with a fantastic impression,” Correas told Turf Diario afterwards. “She did exactly what she was doing in the mornings and what we had seen from her in Argentina. At one point down the backstretch she looked a bit lost, but that’s natural—first time here, two turns, different circumstances. But she has class. Karamanos told me she did everything easily and everything right. We’re thrilled and hopeful she can become one of the good ones, because she’s got all the qualities to be just that.”

With this successful introduction, Nanabush joins the growing list of South American hopes campaigning in the U.S. Future possibilities include Keeneland’s fall meet and, depending on her progression, even a potential Breeders’ Cup appearance.

That’s still a long way off, but the first step was everything her connections could have hoped for. Nanabush confirmed her reputation as a mare of exceptional talent, the same brilliance Argentine fans admired so often at home. She won in style—and now the dreaming begins.