Real Rim Claimed the Jockey Club as Firmamento Secured Its Redemption

Following Drive Joy’s defeat and subsequent injury in the Polla de Potrillos (G1), the Remote colt sparked joy for Juan Carlos Bagó and his team at San Isidro

Martín Valle Clenches His Fist; The 2025 Jockey Club Belongs to Him and Real Rim / HSI

By Diego H. Mitagstein

If life has its twists, then the turf is a merry-go-round. Anything can happen in the wonderful world of horse racing, where a disappointment—a crushing blow—can be erased in a matter of weeks, transformed from a hard-to-digest setback into “just one of those things.”

For Juan Carlos Bagó and his Stud-Haras Firmamento, Real Rim provided exactly that remedy in the Gran Premio Jockey Club (G1-2000m, turf), erasing the double heartbreak left by the Gran Premio Polla de Potrillos (G1). There, Drive Joy (Fortify) had not only been defeated by Gardel Pass (Distinctiv Passion) but had also suffered an injury that sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

Those long faces quickly turned to smiles with the bay colt by Remote, who made his breakthrough on the national Triple Crown’s second leg after showing glimpses of brilliance in previous outings.

Coming off a narrow second in the Clásico Ensayo (G3), where he had closed well from the inside, Real Rim now displayed the full effect of maturity, producing a commanding, decisive win that cements him as the leading representative of his crop on turf.

The race was made easy for two reasons: first, by Real Rim’s own talent; second, by the lackluster effort of the others, with favorite The Great Racing finishing ninth, nearly 20 lengths behind, a shadow of his former self after showing early speed. Neither did Forging (Forge), who had defeated Real Rim in the Ensayo, nor Ardiendo (Remote) or Todo Cambia (Mootasadir), who finished last without making any impact.

Jockey Martín Valle had a clear plan with Real Rim: he waited patiently along the inside without losing ground, then angled out around the turn to avoid being boxed in along the rail as had happened in the Ensayo, and unleashed his bid at precisely the right moment, overtaking Forging, who had used up his energy upfront, and drawing clear of the rest.

Real Rim took the lead early and finished strongly, crossing the line 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Señor Sandro (Cityscape), with the well-positioned Brazilian Phantom (Outstrip) third by a neck, and Jazzy Frank (Gidu) a half-length back in fourth. The final time was an impressive 1:58.66.

As in the Gran Premio San Isidro (G1), the Jockey Club produced a 1-2 for trainer Carlos D. Etchechoury, though his son Juan Manuel was listed in the program. This marked Etchechoury’s ninth win in the race, having previously triumphed with Gran Estreno (Lucky Roberto, 2006), Indio Glorioso (Honour and Glory, 2007), City Banker (Lode, 2008), Village King (Campanologist, 2017), Roman Joy (Fortify, 2019), Marignac (Equal Stripes, 2020), Natan(Señor Candy, 2022), and Happy Happy Day (Hi Happy, 2023)—numbers worthy of an O’Brien.

At the G3 level, Real Nistel (Van Nistelrooy) gave Firmamento its third Jockey Club win as a breeder—previously with Have a Champ (Ski Champ, 1998) and Happy Happy Day—but it was the first with his own colors. Juan Carlos Bagó celebrated the triumph in person, sporting a huge smile and enjoying what he loves most in the world: horse racing.