Paraná Miní Returns to Action Against Tough Rivals in the Clásico Fortunato Novara

The son of Winning Prize has been sidelined for four months, but is ready to make up for lost time

Paraná Miní has already secured five stakes victories throughout his career / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

LA PLATA.— A high-stakes clash awaits the milers this Tuesday in the Clásico Fortunato Novara (G3), the feature event for 3-year-olds and up at the local track.

While only six runners will face the starter, the compact field offers contenders for every preference, notably Paraná Miní, who returns to the ring after a 121-day layoff, ready to regain his footing in the division.

The Winning Prize colt, trained by the Domingo stable, boasts an impressive record. He was last seen on the San Isidro turf, finishing a solid third behind champion Colifato Novo (Lenovo) and G1 winner Unico Happy (Hi Happy) in the Clásico Pedro Chapar (G3). With five stakes wins already on his resume, he will be the one to beat.

His most formidable opponent is El Ernesto (Señor Candy), from whom more was expected a couple of weeks ago in the Clásico Oswaldo Aranha (L). On that occasion, he finished third, just over 1 1/2 lengths behind Vampiro Zen (Zensational), who also returns for this engagement and will be the target of a revenge bid.

The latter has rediscovered his best form and, as a 3-year-old, will benefit from a favorable weight-for-age scale. These few pounds of advantage could be the key to maintaining his winning momentum.

But the depth doesn't end there. Norte (Leofric) is also in the mix; although he finished fifth in the Aranha, he previously delivered a strong performance at Palermo, winning a tough allowance race by a length over Niño Samurai (Hat Ninja).

Severino Hit (Hit It a Bomb) comes in after back-to-back allowance wins on the San Isidro dirt and a recent fourth-place finish behind the overqualified The Great Jazz (The Great Day), where he battled for the runner-up spot until the wire.

Finally, the field is completed by Emblematicu (Lucullan), another 3-year-old, though his form lines are a notch below the rest. While he is considered the longshot of the group, as they say, the races must be run on the track.