Norge made the most of his great form to lead wire-to-wire in the Handicap Final Meeting
The Brazilian-bred runner controlled the pace right from the break and comfortably staved off the late rally of Flaminiusto secure his fourth victory in his last five starts; Say It Fast, the favorite, proved disappointing after finishing seventh and second to last
The current form of Norge is one that invites dreams of increasingly greater challenges. At 6 years old, the Brazilian-bred horse is traversing the finest moment of his career, and this Wednesday he took another major step by claiming the Handicap Final Meeting, the feature race of the program contested over 1,200 meters on the dirt track at Hipódromo de San Isidro.
Far from speculating, the son of Agnes Gold broke with clear intent to dictate terms from the moment the gates flew open. Guided by Martín La Palma under a 56-kilo burden, he seized the lead and established a demanding pace,covering the opening 400 meters in :22.96 and reaching the 800-meter mark in :45.40—fractions that made it abundantly clear he was unwilling to concede an inch.
That early speed did not prevent him from conserving energy for the stretch drive. Norge turned for home still in command, and when his rivals attempted to challenge his dominance, he responded with the requisite resolve to hold his advantage. He did not have much to spare, truth be told, but he certainly lacked no courage in executing another valuable conquest.
Flaminius (Hi Happy), who carried just 54 kilos under Osvaldo Alderete, came closest to spoiling the party, finishing second by half a length. A neck back, El Interventor (Il Campione, 56) completed the trifecta, while Príncipe Soñado(Fragotero, 56 1/2) checked in fourth, another 2 lengths behind, ahead of Hiran (Santillano), who shouldered the demanding top weight of 61 kilos. The final time stopped at 1:09.68.
The day's main disappointment belonged to Say It Fast (Cosmic Trigger). Carrying 57 1/2 kilos, the public choice never managed to justify the high expectations surrounding him and finished seventh in a field of eight, defeating only Don Pichi (Qué Vida Buena, 56 1/2). It was a performance well below expectations for a runner entering with ample credentials to fight for victory.
This triumph is no isolated event on his resume. Since May, the representative of stud Rosa Mística has captured 5 of his last 6 starts, with the lone exception being a fourth-place finish in August. His previous outing on September 4 was a display of absolute authority, clearing an allowance race over the same track and trip in 1:09.48. This time he had to fight considerably harder, but the end result remained unchanged.
Trained by Emanuel Retamozo, the dark bay horse is out of the dam For Freedom, by Ghadeer. With Wednesday's success, he reached 7 victories in 16 career starts on Argentine tracks—5 of them coming during 2026—underscoring his pronounced affinity for the 1,200-meter dirt distance.
The step up from condition races into handicaps always demands something extra, particularly against seasoned opposition. Norge passed that test in his own trademark style: running hard from the break and finding answers when it was time to dig deep. Backed by such consistent form, setting sights on a graded stakes challenge next no longer seems like any exaggeration.
