The Gran Premio República Argentina will feature seven warriors in the starting gate

With the withdrawal of Unico Happy, the field is set for the May 1 feature at Palermo; a rematch between Butterfingand Need You Tonight awaits

Need You Tonight seeks back-to-back victories in the Gran Premio República Argentina / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

The field was finalized Monday for the 2026 edition of the Gran Premio República Argentina (G1-2000m, dirt), the premier race of the season for older dirt stayers at Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo, scheduled to be run Friday, May 1, as part of a blockbuster card.

With 100,000,000 pesos awaiting the winner and open to runners aged three and up, the race will share the spotlight with the Gran Premio Criadores (G1-2000m, dirt), Gran Premio de las Américas – OSAF (G1-1600m, dirt), Gran Premio Ciudad de Buenos Aires (G1-1000m, dirt), Gran Premio Montevideo (G1-1500m, dirt), and Gran Premio Jorge de Atucha (G1-1500m, dirt).

Following the withdrawal of Unico Happy (Hi Happy), the field was reduced to seven runners, highlighted by the anticipated rematch between Butterfing (Angiolo) and Need You Tonight (Hat Trick), who recently fought out the finish of the Gran Premio de Honor (G1). Their showdown will also serve as the concluding chapter of the Campeonato Palermo de Oro.

Trained by Juan Saldivia, Butterfing finished third in the 2025 Gran Premio Nacional (G1) and returned from a layoff with an excellent effort in the Honor. Need You Tonight, meanwhile, used that race to shake off rust after time away and now shapes as an even more dangerous rival as he attempts to defend the title he captured last year.

At Monday afternoon’s post-position draw, Need You Tonight landed post 4 and Butterfing post 5, though in such a compact field, traffic issues should be minimal.

Also set to play a major role is El Emporio (Il Campione), third in the Honor after having strung together seven consecutive stakes victories at Palermo.

Adding further intrigue is the return of Vota Bien (Hi Happy), winner of the Gran Premio Perú (G1), later runner-up to Acento Final (Treasure Beach) in the Gran Premio Copa de Oro (G1), and fourth behind Brazilian champion Obataye (Courtier) in the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini (G1), where he was the second-best Argentine finisher.

Billion (Galicado) and Buen Escoses (Bodemeister), fourth and fifth respectively in the Honor, are also confirmed, along with Private Blend (Lucullan).