Qué Buena B. stands out as a top contender in a ultra-tough handicap

A two-time stakes winner at La Plata, the daughter of Qué Vida Buena faces a high-quality field over 1,200 meters on the dirt

The first of two attractive handicaps adding a touch of stakes-quality prestige to Monday's card at Hipódromo Palermowill be the Handicap Servicio Veterinario del Hipódromo Palermo, scheduled over 1,200 meters for winning mares five years old and up.

picking a top contender proves exceptionally tough given the high-caliber lineup of 13 confirmed runners, turning this handicap into a virtual stakes race. carrying 57 kilos and starting from an outside draw, Qué Buena B. arrives determined to transfer her sparkling La Plata form to the big track.

the daughter of Qué Vida Buena has scored in four of her last six starts, a streak featuring victories in the Clásico Arturo A. Bullrich (G3) and the Clásico Curtida Nistel, both over today's six-furlong trip. the long stretch down Avenida del Libertador y Dorrego should play right into her hands, even if her sole prior appearance on this track saw her finish sixth.

of course, her task will be anything but simple against rivals like Vieja Amiga Mask (Mask), who carries the top weight of 61 kilos. after several solid placings, the gray mare from Stud Tinta Roja just delivered a big performance on the San Isidro dirt, landing the Handicap Fitzcarraldo by 1 1/2 lengths over Ana de Armas (Angiolo), while carrying 59 kilos.

trainer Néstor Bustos, who conditions Qué Buena B., will also make the trip from the city of diagonals with the highly talented Save Your Tears (Full Mast, 58). a multiple stakes winner in her own right, she comes off a close fourth-place effort in the Handicap Haras Chapadmalal behind Joy Traviesa (Fortify, 58) and Furiosa Vis (Furious Key, 50 1/2), both of whom are set to reoppose today as prime contenders for top honors.

the list of heavyweights does not end there: Emely (Il Campione, 59) makes another attempt to get back on the winning track after finishing seventh to Joy Traviesa. with victories in the Clásico Día de la Soberanía Nacional and the Clásico República de Chile already on her record, it will surprise no one if she manages to set the pace and hold on all the way to the wire...