Vundu, the Horse with the Giant Heart, Put On a Gritty Display to Prove He Is Different
- Turf Diario
- Jun 8
- 2 min read
The son of Suggestive Boy lavished quality to hold off Viejo Varieté and capture the Clásico Forli (G2)
If there is a need to talk about class, Vundu can be considered one of its flagbearers. There is almost no race in which he does not make sure to demonstrate that he has it in abundance. As happened this Saturday at San Isidro Racecourse, where the horse from Stud Gran Ascochinga displayed all his talent to find victory once again in the Clásico Forli(G2-1800 m, turf), the feature of a high-flying program, albeit during a climatically unpleasant day.
After paying the price of his layoff, the son of Suggestive Boy was a mixture of speed, stamina, and grit to return to the forefront and begin dreaming of winning the Gran Premio Estrellas Classic (G1) for a second time.
Has anyone stopped to think what a great horse Vundu would have been if injuries hadn't been a plague to his health? The detail is often overlooked, but it is well worth remembering that the dark bay had to overcome physical issues from which not everyone returns; and much less so at the top level.
But the horse bred at Haras Pozo de Luna is different, one of the good ones, and the one who felt it firsthand this time was Viejo Varieté (Qué Vida Buena), who crashed into the wall built by the winner up front when he launched his closing kick in the homestretch to try and defeat him.
With Gustavo Calvente in his irons, Vundu set the pace up front through fractions of 25s25/100, 49s85/100, and 1m12s94/100, pressured by Hit Colchonero (Hit It a Bomb) and Thor Medina (Mootasadir), whom he literally sent to the hospital.
Once in the straight, he opened up a couple of lengths early in a well-timed first move, and in the closing stages, when Viejo Varieté seemed to have him in his grasp, he changed leads, dug deep, and held off his rival by a half-head, defending his heavy favoritism in a total time of 1m47s93/100, finishing just over 12 seconds on a track with its fair share of complications.
Far back, 11 lengths away, Alburquerque (Orpen) finished third by default, with a Thor Medina who closed the field miles behind, adding his second consecutive failure after his poor showing in the Gran Premio Latinoamericano (G1) at Monterrico in Peru.
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