Notable Invaders: The Story of Foreign-Bred Horses Who Captured the 25 de Mayo

Don Feres will aim to become the sixth foreign-bred horse to win the prestigious 25 de Mayo at San Isidro

Al Qasr, the last foreign-bred to capture the 25 de Mayo / TURF DIARIO

The first running of the Gran Premio 25 de Mayo (G1) was held in 1959, when La Rubia (Atabor) stunned her male rivals, paving the way for a race that, over time, would become a landmark on the San Isidro calendar.

Since that inaugural edition, only a handful of foreign-bred runners have managed to capture the trophy—a feat Don Feres (Singe the Turf) will attempt to replicate on Sunday. The Peruvian runner returns to the Jockey Club turf where he was runner-up in the 2023 Longines Gran Premio Latinoamericano (G1) and finished third in the most recent renewal of the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini (G1).

In the long history of the 25 de Mayo, only five times has the race been won by a horse not bred in Argentina. In two of those cases, the winners traveled specifically to contest the event, while the other three had been based in the country prior to their victories.

The first foreign triumph came in 1960, just a year after the race's debut, when Brazilian-bred Escorial, a son of Orsenigo bred by Roberto and Nelson Seabra at Haras Guanabara, took the prize for Stud Seabra. A true champion, Escorial had also won the 1959 Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini, and had previously swept the Brazilian Triple Crown en route to being named Horse of the Year, Champion 3-Year-Old Colt, and Champion Older Horse.

It would be another 31 years before a non-Argentine-bred returned to the winner's circle, when U.S.-bred gray Ski Champ (Icecapade) bested Romanee Conti (Saint Sever) and Tamerlan (Triplicador) in 1991. Trained by Alfredo Gaitán Dassié and carrying the silks of Stud Efe-Ge, with Juan José Paulé aboard, Ski Champ said farewell to Argentine racing that day before heading to the U.S., where he would go on to win the Tanaka Family Farm Handicap (L) at Bay Meadows.

In 1997 and 1998 came the unforgettable back-to-back victories of the remarkable mare Sea Girl (Royal Roberto), another U.S. import trained by Gaitán Dassié. Ridden both times by Rubén Emilio Laitan, the Rio Claro legend defeated El Coliseo (Fitzcarraldo) and Merlin Sil (Silence) in a thrilling finish in her first win, and returned the following year to comfortably turn back Gabarito (Gem Master).

The most recent foreign-bred to win the 25 de Mayo was Al Qasr (Aptitude), a U.S.-bred who campaigned in Peru under the care of Juan Suárez Villarroel—the same trainer who now aims to repeat the feat with Don Feres. Racing for Stud Soribel, Al Qasr defeated Bogeyman (Editor's Note) by two lengths in the 2012 edition at San Isidro, with fellow Peruvian Almudena (Silver Planet) finishing third.

The last international participant was the Brazilian Natus Vincere (Agnes Gold), who ran sixth in last year's renewal, 4 1/2 lengths behind the ill-fated Full Keid (Full Mast), though like Ski Champ and Sea Girl, he had been based locally.

Will Don Feres add his name to this exclusive list? That answer rests—depending on your preference—in the hands, or rather the hooves, of the gray colt, who looks poised to take his place at the starting gate on Sunday as the likely favorite.