The Ageless Despacito Does It Again, Unshakable and Full of Class

Carrying 61 Kilos Against a Tough Field, Son of Sabayón Prevails in the British Empire H., Notching 15th Win the Only Way He Knows: Fighting and Winning

Despacito and Facundo Coria, Side by Side in Yet Another Winning Snapshot/ HAPSA

At this point, any praise might fall short for Despacito, the veteran from La Pampa who, on a gloomy Monday afternoon at Palermo, added yet another memorable page to his already outstanding career.

Facing a strong field and carrying the top weight of 61 kilos, the son of champion Sabayón captured the Handicap British Empire (1200m, dirt), rewarding his loyal backers with a generous $10.85 payoff and justifying Turf Diario’s vote of confidence.

True to his style and once again partnered by Facundo Coria, the dark bay runner for Stud Los Primos showed pure class in the stretch, holding off a fierce late charge from Burgess Shale (Safety Check, 58.5 kg) to score by half a length in a sharp 1:09.94, on a track that remained fast throughout the day.

Despacito was always in the mix up front, dueling early with the capable Rugiente (Il Campione, 58.5 kg) and Soy Yarquén (Seize, 53 kg), whom he managed to shake off by the 300-meter mark.

There was no time to relax, though, as Burgess Shale loomed large on his outside with every intention of grinding him down. The chestnut gave it everything he had, but Despacito built an invisible wall and held his ground, crossing the wire still half a length in front.

Mr Neil (Valid Stripes, 56 kg) finished third another 1 1/2 lengths back, narrowly ahead of Amigazo Sky (Falling Sky, 57.5 kg), who was making his comeback after several months on the sidelines and turned in an encouraging effort. Rugiente faded to fifth, just behind the leaders.

Bred by Héctor E. Antonio, Despacito now boasts 15 wins from 47 starts, having finished out of the money only 10 times and amassing nearly 40,000,000 pesos in earnings. Of those victories, 12 came under top-level conditions, including 7 stakes wins: the G3 Uberto F. Vignart, Río de La Plata, Asociación Argentina de Fomento Equino (L), Juan C. Etchechoury (twice), Pablo Gustavo Falero, and Revista Palermo – 100 Años.

Despacito is nothing short of a monument to the racehorse. All heart, all class. A true lover of the wire.