Touch of Destiny, the History-Making Colt Who Earned His Breeders’ Cup Spot

At Just Two, Touch of Destiny Defeats Older Horses in Maroñas Mile to Book Dirt Mile (G1) Ticket

Touch of Destiny Becomes First Two-Year-Old to Defeat Older Horses at a Mile / ORANA MAGNANI

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay (Special for Turf Diario).- Uruguayan racing witnessed a historic day at Maroñas on Sunday. Not only did the Clásico Asociación Uruguaya de Propietarios de Caballos de Carrera (G3) mark the nation’s first-ever Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series “Win and You’re In” qualifier, but it also produced a performance worthy of the occasion. Touch of Destiny (Midshipman), already unbeaten, cemented his reputation as a phenomenon with a commanding front-running victory under pouring rain that only underscored his superiority.

Bred and raced by Haras Phillipson and trained by Raimundo Soares, the dark bay colt is now undefeated in six starts. Ridden confidently by Luis Cáceres, he went straight to the lead, setting fractions of :22.94 and :45.59 before stopping the clock for the mile in a dazzling 1:34.39.

Neither favorite Si Señor (Señor Candy), defending champion Latte Macchiato (Put It Back), nor Brazilian raider Samba e Samba (Rally Cry) could lay a glove on him. As they turned for home, Touch of Destiny simply kicked clear with ease, powering away to win by five lengths and stamping himself as Uruguay’s top horse, regardless of age.

This milestone victory makes Touch of Destiny the first Uruguayan-based horse to qualify directly for the Breeders’ Cup since the inception of the Win and You’re In system, which offers automatic, expenses-paid berths from 93 designated races worldwide. His triumph secures him a spot in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Del Mar on November 1, with entry and travel fully covered by the program, provided he is nominated by October 20.

From the outset, Touch of Destiny hinted at rare ability. He captured the Campeones Juvenile by seven lengths on June 1 and took the Clásico Lavalleja by nine in April, but this latest effort confirmed he is well above average. Facing older graded horses for the first time, he dispatched them with maturity and power beyond his two years.

The colt’s physique and temperament continue to impress, and as his team considers the journey north to California, his name is already etched in Uruguayan turf history in golden letters.

After years in which Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru sent qualifiers to the Breeders’ Cup through South American Challenge races, Uruguay has now joined the elite group—and in emphatic style. Touch of Destiny truly lives up to his name.