With Lissette Island, speed among the fillies has a master

The defender of Stud El Kaiser commanded authority in the Clásico Venezuela (G2) over 1,000 meters at Palermo,securing her 10th victory in 18 starts. In 2026, she has won five stakes races and finished second in the other three she contested

The top female sprinter of the season has a name of her own: Lissette Island. This Monday, on the dirt straight at Palermo, she proved it once again, taking the Clásico Venezuela (G2) by three lengths and justifying the $1.90 payout she offered as a heavily backed favorite.

Nothing altered the script for El Kaiser's dark bay filly. With Iván Monasterolo in the irons, she broke sharply while allowing Pasión del Alma Pass (Distinctive Passion) to assume the early lead, shadowing her at close range. When her jockey called upon her for her true run around the 250-meter mark, she surged past with ease and, far from facing any resistance, began pulling away from her rivals. She hit the wire unhurried, giving the impression that she had plenty left in the tank.

Closing from well back was Vieja Amiga Mask (Mask), coming off a three-race winning streak, to finish second, three lengths behind the winner and just a nose ahead of Filha (Nashville Texan), who rallied strongly until the end. Enjoy Dancing (Hi Happy) finished fourth, a length and a half further back, while Pasión del Alma Pass held on for fifth,another nose behind. The pacesetter paid for her early exertion, though she completed a commendable effort against more experienced opponents while carrying a five-kilogram weight break as a 3-year-old.

The disappointment of the race was La Bella Otero (Daddy Long Legs). Entering off a stakes victory and appearing as a potential threat to the favorite, she never managed to factor into contention and finished last, beaten 12 1/2 lengths.The clock stopped in 57s18/100, an excellent time for the program—especially when compared to the 57s96/100 recorded later by Misilero (Mask) to win another 1,000-meter contest under considerable drive.

Bred by La Fortaleza and trained by Germán Knuttsen, Lissette Island is a daughter of Lizard Island and Channel Sale (Not For Sale). With this triumph, she reached ten victories in 18 starts, seven of them in stakes company, pushing her career earnings past 107 million pesos. At Palermo, where she feels particularly at home, her record is even more dominant: eight wins in eleven outings.

Her 2026 campaign deserves a line of its own. She captured the Clásico General Arenales (G3), Clásico Olavarría (G3), Clásico España (L), Clásico México (G3), and now the Clásico Venezuela (G2), while finishing second in her other three starts in the Clásico General Francisco B. Bosch (G3), Clásico República de Panamá (G3), and Clásico Ocurrencia (G3). Eight starts, five wins, and three runner-up finishes, all in graded or listed stakes competition. Pure consistency and authority.

The Clásico Venezuela also marked a new milestone: her first Group 2 victory, adding to previous stakes achievements such as the Clásico General Güemes (G3) and the Clásico Caballerizas Argentinas in 2025. In a racing calendar where leaders often shift depending on the track condition or the month, Lissette Island continues to assert her dominance. And with every performance, she leaves less room to debate who rules the sprinting division.