The Triple Crown Gets Underway at La Plata with the Clásico Polla de Potrancas

Personal Filly looms as the top contender, invading the local oval for the first time; Siesta, winner of the Clásico Raúl Aristegui (G2), looms as her main threat

LA PLATA.— A momentum-filled day lies ahead this Tuesday at the local track, where the local Triple Crown will get underway once again, searching for a 3-year-old capable of sweeping the series for the first time in many years.

To be precise, it was Cóndor Cal (Hesical) in 1995 who was the last to string together every leg, three years after another benchmark horse for local racing, Vilas Light (Light Cavalry), accomplished the feat.

The historic series kicks off with the Clásico Polla de Potrancas (G2) over the traditional mile, serving as the opening stanza alongside the Clásico Polla de Potrillos (G3) for the colts, which will be decided this coming Thursday. The tour then moves to the Clásico Jockey Club de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (G3) and concludes with the Clásico Provincia de Buenos Aires (G2), though that remains further down the road.

The state of Argentine racing is currently so diminished that whichever filly crosses the line first this afternoon will take home a meager purse of 10,560,000 pesos—which, after mandatory deductions, yields roughly $5,000 for the owner, practically nothing. Naturally, there is no financial incentive offered for sweeping the Triple Crown, either...

Only six contenders will line up in the starting gates—partly due to the purse structure, and partly because just three days ago the Clásico General Luis María Campos (G2) was contested at Palermo with an identical number of runners. Still, it is fair to say there is plenty of excitement for a compelling race.

The feature—which will be broadcast live by Global Media Turf (GMT) starting at 3:45 p.m. on its YouTube channel—presents the heavily touted Personal Filly (Dabster) as the prime candidate for victory as she invades the city of avenues to build momentum.

A winner on debut in Buenos Aires, she subsequently finished second behind Gran Gotera (Made You Look) in the Gran Premio Jorge de Atucha (G1). However, the Clásico Manuel J. Güiraldes (G3) represented a setback, as she finished seventh after enduring a troubled trip. It remains to be seen how she handles the unique South layout, not to mention a track surface that is almost certainly bound to be off.

Standing in her path is Siesta (Cityscape), another filly held in high regard since day one and whom trainer Marcelo Sueldo has patiently pointed to this spot. The defender of Stud Carpucho was last seen just over two months ago securing an effortless 5-length victory in the Clásico Raúl Aristegui (G2). The onus is now on her to confirm that form.

Sueldo holds another intriguing hand with Salema (Il Mercato), who captured the Clásico Andrés S. Torres (G3) back in May and comes off a commendable third-place effort in the aforementioned Güiraldes.

The connections of Rubio B. hold high hopes for American Model (Gouverneur Morris), who made a promising debut in the Especial Independencia, drawing off by four lengths over Tiza (Mootasadir), though the latter failed to hit the board in her two subsequent outings.

Trainer Lucas Gaitán takes a shot from San Isidro's Campo 2 with Niña Pastori (Fortify), a homebred for Haras Vacación who scored decisively on debut over 1,200 meters on the Palermo dirt. She stretches out to the mile and changes tracks, but arrives well prepared.