Sono Perfetto Backed by an Unbeatable Team to Fuel His Progress

Omar Labanca and Lautaro Balmaceda Are Developing a Colt With Ambitions; Eyes Now on the Jockey Club

Omar Labanca Enjoying a Strong Professional Moment / HLP

LA PLATA.- If there is one partnership making waves in 2025, it is the team of trainer Lautaro Balmaceda and conditioner Omar Labanca. Both are enjoying one of their best seasons individually, but together they have become a formidable force.

On Thursday at La Plata, their momentum continued as Sono Perfetto confirmed all the promise he had shown when runner-up to Winston (Forge) in the Clásico Isidoro Aramburu (G3) by capturing the Clásico José Pedro Ramírez (G3).

“Sono Perfetto was precocious enough to debut early, but he was still a bit green. In his first starts, like at San Isidro, he didn’t quite show what we expected. But once we brought him to La Plata, he began to mature, and I was convinced the distance would suit him,” Labanca told Daniel Sinegub on La Plata’s closed-circuit broadcast. “The selection process is like that—you don’t get longer races early on. When he got to 1500 meters, he improved and felt comfortable with the added ground. We’ve worked hard with him in the barn, with Agustín and the rest of the team, and the results show.”

Looking ahead, Labanca added: “I don’t think more distance will be a problem. He likes to race forward, but he’s manageable and always gives everything. In the Aramburu, he was beaten by a good colt like Winston, but he still gave his all. And if he needs to come from off the pace, he can do it.”

Patience proved key in targeting the Ramírez, as Labanca chose to skip the first leg of the national Triple Crown: “The Polla after the Aramburu came up too close, and whether we won or lost, we were going to bypass it because he was a little behind schedule. Hopefully, we can now aim for the Gran Premio Jockey Club (G1),” he said.

For his part, a smiling Balmaceda shared his own take on the son of Tetaze: “The race unfolded pretty much as we expected. The idea was to go forward, he broke well and I was able to do it. We thought it would be a bit easier to control up front, but they came after us early. We were going fast, and I had to manage him, but he showed he could handle it and kept them all at bay. I know him very well, and he keeps getting better race by race.”

With Sono Perfetto, the Balmaceda-Labanca partnership shows no signs of slowing down—and their sights are firmly set on more classic photos.