Potrillazo and Dorian Gray, Handicaps With G1-Caliber Names in the Mix

Unico Happy and Emmspacial Boy Highlight the Tribute to Stud Tori’s Champion; Endor Rye and Treasure Island Stretch Out

Endor Rye to Carry Top Weight of 62 Kilos in the Handicap Dorian Gray / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

Racing returns for a second straight day at the Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo on Monday, with a 12-race program highlighted by a pair of feature handicaps: the Potrillazo H. (1400 meters, dirt) for 5-year-olds and up, and the Dorian Gray H. (2500 meters, dirt) for 4-year-olds and older.

The tribute to Stud Tori’s champion promises a clash of near-classic stature, headed by the comebacking pair of Unico Happy (Hi Happy, 60 kilos) and Emmspacial Boy (Emmanuel, 60).

Unico Happy hasn’t been seen since his trip to Montevideo, Uruguay, where he failed to fire in the G3 Gran Premio Pedro Piñeyrúa at Maroñas Jan. 6. Winner of the G1 Gran Criterium at two, he closed out 2024 in style with a decisive score in La Plata’s G2 Clásico Joaquín V. González, making his return highly anticipated.

Emmspacial Boy, meanwhile, comes off a dull effort in the L Clásico Mesa del Senado, also following a South American raid. His résumé, however, includes several high-level efforts, notably a strong third behind Napa Valley (Il Campione) and El Que Sabe (Il Campione) in the G1 Gran Premio Palermo.

Rivals looking to capitalize on current form include El Gazpacho (Bodemeister, 57), and the progressive duo of Atomic Trigger (Cosmic Trigger, 55) and Emergent (Il Campione, 54.5).

In the Dorian Gray H., Treasure Island (Treasure Beach, 61) finds a softer spot after finishing a neck second to Look Portal (Portal del Alto) in La Plata’s Clásico Federación Argentina de Jockey Clubes e Hipódromos. A G1 winner, he’ll try to reassert his class.

Awaiting him, however, is the formidable Endor Rye (Endorsement, 62), runner-up to Need You Tonight (Hat Ninja) in the G1 Gran Premio Estrellas Classic and stretching back out in distance. That horses of his caliber continue to be spotted in handicaps rather than top-level races underscores one of the enduring peculiarities of Argentine racing, where little seems to change—or be seriously addressed.