Sarawak Rim, following in the footsteps of Blue Prize and carrying the JCB Stables’ hopes

The Argentine-bred mare is already training at Del Mar, with her sights set on next Saturday’s Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1)

Sarawak Rim is at Del Mar, fine-tuning her preparations for the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1)/ BREEDERS' CUP

DEL MAR, California (From special correspondent).- Since arriving in California a few days ago, Sarawak Rim has settled in with the poise of a seasoned traveler. On Saturday, the Remote filly was back out early on Del Mar’s main track, galloping a mile and three-eighths under exercise rider Geovanny Vences, following the precise plan laid out by trainer Ignacio Correas. She is scheduled to repeat the same routine Sunday at 7:55 a.m., as the countdown begins toward next weekend’s Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1).

It will mark another Distaff appearance for Correas, who reached the pinnacle of his career in 2019 when the unforgettable Blue Prize (Pure Prize)—also Argentine-bred—captured the race at Santa Anita. Fate, it seems, has brought a touch of déjà vu: this time, Correas is once again stabled alongside Richard Baltas. “When we won the Distaff with Blue Prize, I was based with Richard,” Correas said with a laugh. “Now I’m here again… so hopefully the result is the same.”

Sarawak Rim will carry the colors of JCB Stables, the operation of Juan Carlos Bagó, a name synonymous with Argentine racing through his Stud-Haras Firmamento. The mare arrives at this moment after an upward-trending campaign that peaked on May 1 at Palermo, when she captured the Gran Premio Criadores (G1) over a mile and a quarter—earning an automatic berth to the Distaff via the Win and You’re In program and fulfilling a dream that now continues on American soil.

That victory, achieved with authority over the same distance as the Distaff, confirmed her class and the vision of a team unafraid to aim high. Since then, her preparation has been patient and methodical, first adjusting to life in the U.S. at Keeneland, and now fine-tuning at Del Mar, where Irad Ortiz Jr., the multiple Grade I-winning and Eclipse Awardchampion jockey, awaits to take the reins.