The Gladiator's Hat was superb to put things in their rightful place in the General San Martín
- Turf Diario
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
The son of Hat Ninja displayed his finest version once again, reclaiming a well-deserved starring role at the top of the staying division rankings
There was no other choice. And, though it may sound like a wordplay mixing languages, one had to tip their hat at Palermo Racecourse on Saturday to The Gladiator's Hat, brilliant winner of the Gran Premio General San Martín(G1-2400 m, turf), final leg of the Campeonato de Oro Verde, which he ultimately claimed as well.
The son of Hat Ninja put things in their rightful place after a pair of local defeats that had left a bitter taste. His massive conquest in the Gran Premio Dardo Rocha (G1), his brilliant runner-up finish behind Obataye (Courtier) in the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini (G1), and his highly outstanding performance in the Gran Premio Latinoamericano (G1) at Monterrico, in Peru, gave him a commanding position among long-distance runners.
It is hard to imagine that a year ago the dark bay was barely scraping by with a victory in handicap company. His development was huge, giant, and it feels as though he is still undergoing a maturation process that, who knows, may not have reached its ceiling yet.
What The Gladiator's Hat accomplished was decisive, guided by an Eduardo Ortega Pavón who didn't waste a single meter, keeping him along the rails while Full Keynote (Full Mast) set the tempo with soft fractions.
Knowing the turf inside and out, the Paraguayan jockey knows that on the Palermo grass track (whose condition is always poor) everyone searches for the center once reaching the home stretch, so he waited patiently.
When the stretch arrived, the usual happened, and The Gladiator's Hat found a clear runway to surge along the inside rail, took control quickly, pulled away, and the race was over. Cazador de Areco (Long Island Sound) closed late to finish second, 3 lengths back, edging out Mozo de Bar (Bodemeister) by a nose. Full Keynote finished fourth right there, ahead of an inexpressive Neat Colt (Treasure Beach).
Equal Mostaza (Equal Stripes) and Out of the Blue (Drosselmeyer), who had been major players in the Chacabuco(G2) and the Comparación (G2), both failed to deliver. The winning time was 2m29s34/100.
Bred and owned by Stud Haras El Angel de Venecia, The Gladiator's Hat gave Carlos Felice's operation its first G1 victory at Palermo since the champion Lingote de Oro (Orpen) conquered the Estrellas Classic (G1) in 2010.
A grandson of the formidable Easing Along, the hero of the San Martín led a 1-2 finish for trainer Carlos D. Etchechoury, who has been capturing almost every route event for older horses—though, paradoxically, almost always with a different contender. Of them all, The Gladiator's Hat is the best.
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