Necochea Ends in Drama: Dead Heat, Bumps, Thrills, and Promises for the Future

El Romancero Catches Camuflaje at the Wire; Señor de Salva a Strong Third as Hiran Left Wanting After Costly Bump

El Romancero and Kevin Banegas Got Up in the Final Stride / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

Camuflaje raced the entire stretch and shared honors at the wire / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

The Necochea Stakes (L-1000 m, soft turf) delivered a remarkable show, completing the Sunday’s graded double at Hipódromo de San Isidro. El Romancero (Il Campione, 53 1/2) caught Camuflaje (Orpen, 59) at the final jump, resulting in a dead heat on the photo finish.

As if that wasn’t enough to electrify the atmosphere, Señor de Salva (Sebi Halo, 56 1/2) finished a close third by half a length, edging out the favorite and topweight Hiran (Santillano, 61) by a head. Hiran’s chances were compromised after being bumped at the start when Camuflaje drifted out, causing interference.

On a challenging course, El Romancero made up significant ground in the last 200 meters to share the honors (and the purse) with Camuflaje. This marked El Romancero’s first win at this level and a return to prominence for Camuflaje, a sprinter who has been showing promise in turf sprints for some time.

Señor de Salva returned to form after a break since November, showing notable improvement compared to previous efforts, reminiscent of his February win in the General Viamonte Stakes (G3), where Camuflaje had finished third.

Meanwhile, Hiran left his connections and most of the crowd with a bitter taste. The bump at the start, combined with Camuflaje’s drifting outward and blocking his path, likely made the difference in such a tight finish. Hiran left the gate running angry, understandably upset after the interference.

Camuflaje, bred by Haras La Manija, races for Stud El Chorrito, is ridden by Iván Monasterolo, and trained by Eduardo Accosano. El Romancero, bred at Haras El Paraíso, is owned by Ciudad de Amigos and presented by Luis Ojeda.

The sprint division at San Isidro continues to see changing leaders and now looks ahead to the major upcoming events, targeting the Suipacha (G1) and Unzué (G1). Both Camuflaje and El Romancero have hopes of playing leading roles against the best in the division.