Queen Sienna, Violeta M., and the various dreams of Las Monjitas abroad
- Turf Diario
- hace 23 horas
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The silks achieved a valuable victory with the daughter of Fortify at Santa Anita Park, and this Saturday they will enjoy the performances of the miler and Nam Phrik—the latter at Jebel Ali, Emirates
By Diego H. Mitagstein
For a couple of seasons now, Stud Las Monjitas has expanded its horizons, aiming to race outside of Argentina, where its home base is located and where Camilo Bautista’s colors have achieved a vast number of outstanding results.
Many South American owners have aspirations that transcend borders, seeking satisfaction with their own colors and—as is the case with the blue and orange silks—the idea of promoting South American horses and professionals. It is no coincidence that their teams worldwide are composed of people trained in these latitudes, such as trainers Antonio Cintra, Julio Olascoaga, Marcelo Polanco, and Paulo Lobo, among others.
The current status of Las Monjitas abroad is compelling, highlighted by the recent victory of Queen Sienna on the turf at Santa Anita Park. The daughter of Fortify, who had a notable previous campaign in Peru, shone on the 24th of this month, winning a $50,000 allowance optional claiming race with a $70,000 purse over 1,800 meters.
"The mare had run well in her two previous starts in California, although she faced too much traffic in the last one. But now she won beautifully, and we are very happy, hoping that we will now see her best. Regarding her future, we will look for a similar race but over 2,000 meters, where she should perform best," says Tomás Fernández Llanos, manager of Las Monjitas.
Hope is on the horizon for everyone, as this Saturday Violeta M. will be one of nine participants in the Megahertz Stakes (G3, 1,600 m, turf, $100,000 purse), where the Peruvian Princesa Moche (Muwaary) will also be in the starting gate.
"We like Violeta M. a lot. The plan is for her to run more relaxed, returning to what she did in Argentina. She went to the front in her last races, too aggressively, and it didn't work. She will be ridden by Victor Espinoza, who just won with Queen Sienna; he told us he really likes how the mare is doing and feels confident," Tomás explains, adding that Happy Happy Day (Hi Happy) and Friar Newton (Always Dreaming) couldn't race due to snow but will hit the track soon.
Another important base for Las Monjitas is in Meydan, Dubai, where Cintra and Olascoaga shape the project. Action continues there this weekend with Nam Phrik (Hofburg), fresh off a win at Jebel Ali, where he will return to run the 1,950-meter Gain Equine Nutrition International Stakes with Francisco Leandro in the irons.
"He's coming off a win and already ran that distance in Uruguay, so we expect a good result. Perhaps we’ll return to Meydan afterward," adds Tomás. Two of the best Argentine horses of recent years, Natan (Señor Candy) and Satu (Catcher In the Rye), are also there: "They were delayed in Dubai and are recovering, but we are targeting next season now because we aren't moving them from there."
Finally, Fernández Llanos concludes: "The truth is we are very happy with how things are going abroad. We just need to win with Violeta M., but the initial idea was this: to start competing. Everything is coming together, and we hope things keep improving."
