Pushing Eight, Despacito Still Knows How to Get There First

The Sabayón gelding drew off to score by 1 1/2 lengths over Burgess Shale in the Handicap Aniversario de la Inauguración del Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo

Despacito handled the tricky going with ease / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

Despacito (59 kilos) just keeps putting smiles on the faces of his connections. Now nearing his eighth birthday, the son of champion Sabayón (Orpen) scored the 14th victory of his career Monday, taking the Handicap Aniversario del Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo (1200 meters), the feature of the day at the historic track on Avenida del Libertador y Dorrego, contested over an almost unplayable surface.

After a disappointing outing in the Handicap Intérprete, the veteran campaigner from La Pampa rebounded strongly, settling off the pace and taking full advantage of the sustained tempo set by the favorite Santo Varón (Sebi Halo, 54.5 kilos), who carved out fractions of :22.84 and :46.18.

Turning for home, Facundo Coria angled Despacito toward the middle of the track and steadily gained ground, taking over at the 300-meter mark. From there, he held off all challengers, including the wide-running Burgess Shale (Safety Check, 58.5 kilos), who closed late but never seriously threatened.

At the wire, Despacito was pulling away with 1 1/2 lengths in hand. Another 2 1/2 lengths back came Santo Varón in third, all after a sharp final time of 1:10.56. Notably, Tabacano (Fortify), one of the pre-race contenders, was scratched.

Bred by Héctor E. Antonio and racing for Stud Los Primos, Despacito is trained by Darío Periga, who has handled the bay since he was a 4-year-old at the Hipódromo de Santa Rosa in La Pampa. Periga deserves full credit for keeping his charge in top-level form for such an extended stretch, a rare achievement in today’s game.

Out of Poorlittlebridgett (Indian Charlie), Despacito has now amassed nearly 33 million pesos in earnings. Ten of his 14 career wins have come in stakes company, including scores in the Uberto F. Vignart (G3), Asociación Argentina de Fomento Equino (L), Río de La Plata (L), Juan Carlos Etchechoury (twice), Pablo Gustavo Falero, and Revista Palermo.

Time may pass, but Despacito continues to answer the bell—pure class, soundness, and the kind of grit that deserves a frame of its own.