The Clásico Carlos Gardel brings together high-caliber stars and key returns for a thrilling Friday card
Seven runners will line up in Friday’s listed feature at Palermo over 1,800 meters, where El Emporio and Votá Bienmake their returns against Don Machete, Adorado Rim, and the seasoned campaigner Comando Secreto
The weekend of the Gran Premio Jockey Club (G1) will feature a deluxe warm-up this Friday on the dirt track. The Clásico Carlos Gardel (L) has gathered a field of seven horses with enough credentials to deliver far more than its listed status might suggest. Between highly anticipated returns, established names, and rising contenders, there are plenty of reasons to pay close attention.
Reserved for 4-year-olds and up over 1,800 meters under weight-for-age conditions, the feature event of the card will once again highlight the depth of the division. Although the main opportunities on the calendar are concentrated during the first half of the season, top quality remains present, bestowing high status upon events that deserve an even more prominent place on the racing program.
Much of the spotlight will follow El Emporio (Il Campione), who has been absent since finishing sixth in the Gran Premio República Argentina (G1). His comeback marks the return of a horse that once strung together six consecutive stakes victories at Palermo—a formidable streak that came to an end when he finished third in the Gran Premio de Honor (G1), prior to that below-par effort in May's showcase event.
His return takes place on familiar ground: the exact distance and race he conquered twelve months ago. His class is beyond question; the only unknown is seeing how much of that peak form remains and how he will respond to a layoff when facing opponents with plenty of recent racing under their belts.
Also absent since the Gran Premio República Argentina is Votá Bien (Hi Happy), who finished second behind Need You Tonight (Hat Ninja) on that afternoon. As talented as he is fragile, the horse has had to alternate his appearances with layoffs that prevented him from maintaining the consistency his ability deserves. Nevertheless, every review of his past performances yields arguments to take him very seriously.
Runner-up in the Gran Premio Copa de Oro (G1) and fourth in the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini (G1), he won the Clásico Engrillado in 2025 and possesses plenty of class to mix it up at the finish. Once again, he will be tasked with delivering off a layoff—a scenario that has become all too familiar throughout his career.
Standing against them, Don Machete (Daddy Long Legs) offers current form and upward trajectory. The Haras San Benito representative, winner of the Clásico Macón (L), is coming off a second-place finish, three lengths behind Drive Joy (Fortify), in the Clásico Italia (G3). That performance confirmed his aptitude for the dirt surface and leaves him well-positioned to chase another stakes victory.
In that same Clásico Italia, Adorado Rim (Remote) finished third behind Drive Joy and Don Machete. Since joining the barn of Juan Saldivia, he has improved dramatically and once again looks like the promising horse he was as a juvenile. His victory in the Clásico Engrillado and subsequent placing show him traversing a very favorable period.
G1 winner Comando Secreto (War Command) brings vast experience to the table. At 8 years old, and despite a below-expectation effort in his last outing, he retains a late stretch kick capable of threatening anyone if he gets a pace scenario that plays to his strengths.
A step behind are Proude Paris (Lucullan), who is fresh off his fourth career win over 1,800 meters, and Castañón Rim (Remote), winner of the Clásico Regimiento de Granaderos a Caballo, who returns after three months following a poor effort in the Clásico Chacabuco (G2). They complete a demanding lineup: on Friday, Palermo will host a race to savor from start to finish.
