Personal Filly, the undisputed queen among the fillies at La Plata
The daughter of Dabster reasserted her absolute dominance by defeating Siesta by 5 lengths in the Gran Premio Selección de Potrancas (G1); another triumph for Juan Saldivia and William Pereyra, in a race that starting in 2027 will lose its top-flight status
LA PLATA.— Personal Filly had energy to spare for the victory and lacked rivals capable of disputing her crown. The absolute dominance she had displayed in the Polla de Potrancas (G2) found a resounding confirmation over the 2000 meters of the Gran Premio Selección de Potrancas (G1), where she once again left Siesta (Cityscape) as her runner-up, this time by 5 lengths. At El Bosque, the gap between the division leader and the rest remains, for now, immense.
Her crowning glory also carried a historic significance that will endure: she became the last winner of the traditional test while holding G1 status. Starting in 2027, the Selección will be downgraded to G2, leaving the Gran Premio Dardo Rocha as the sole top-flight event of the La Plata season. It is a painful loss that shrinks the elite calendar and turns this edition into the close of an era the local turf community would have preferred to prolong.
The representative of South African outfit Wilgerbosdrift, a daughter of Dabster and Pure Doris, delivered exactly as expected from such a clear favorite. William Pereyra settled her in fourth through the early stages, letting the race take shape up front while conserving the energy that would later prove the difference-maker.
By the far turn, the chestnut filly began closing in on Everose (Uncle Chuck), who had been tasked with calling the running. Her advance was continuous and, as they straightened for home, she took command. The moment to decide the race had arrived, and Personal Filly handled it with the effortless grace of a true star.
Siesta tried to close the gap and briefly put the leader to the test. It was then that the favorite re-engaged, lengthening her stride and turning that threat into a futile pursuit. The 5-length margin at the wire accurately reflected the contest: a filly running with plenty in reserve and another doing everything possible to keep up.
The timer stopped in 2:06.50 for the winner, who elevated her record to 3 wins from 5 starts. Siesta, who had also finished second in the Polla and fifth just a week earlier in the Clásico Federico de Alvear (G2) at San Isidro, turned in another honest effort, though once again forced to acknowledge an indisputable superior.
Medium-built at 442 kilograms, Personal Filly packs far more than her frame suggests. She possesses the patience to wait, the resolve to go after the race, and a final kick that enables her to sustain her effort. Over two kilometers, those virtues aligned to yield the most important victory of her career.
For Juan Saldivia and William Pereyra, the victory extended an extraordinary vein of form. The two Pollas at Palermo and the Clásico Martínez (G3) with Hand In Hand (Il Campione) were still fresh in the memory when this latest classic photo arrived. September is leaving them with a collection of moments that validate the early mornings, the patience, and the hard work.
Saldivia continues to get responses from his horses, and Pereyra always seems to hold an extra second to make his move. In that shared trust, races fall into place, decisions are executed on time, and the wire comes as the natural result of work that began long before. With Personal Filly, they were on the same page once again: the trainer delivered a filly at her absolute peak, and the jockey allowed her to showcase her full brilliance.
The horizon now presents a particularly enticing possibility: the Gran Premio Selección (G1) at Palermo. There, she could cross paths with her paternal half-sister Look At To Me, also trained by Saldivia and a dominant recent winner of the Polla. It will be a decision for the coming days, but the manner in which she handled her first test over 2000 meters invites big dreams.
La Plata provided the stage for her to make the leap into a Group 1 winner. Her talent, however, suggests she can compete with serious aspirations at Palermo and San Isidro as well. The sheer dominance of her last two outings opens those doors wide.
Her name will remain at the bottom of a roll of honor that will never be written the same way again. The Selección de Potrancas will lose a top-flight status in 2027 that formed part of El Bosque's sporting heritage, leaving behind a lingering sadness that no great race can fully erase. Personal Filly, at least, proved equal to the final great chapter: she won with authority, crowned herself beyond debate, and brought undeniable class to an afternoon of celebration and nostalgia.
