Yukon Jack Returns to La Plata Looking to Bounce Back, Looms as Top Contender

G3 Winner at Palermo Eyes Redemption in Handicap Haras Don Florentino After Two Disappointing Efforts

Yukon Jack Took the G3 Estados Unidos at Palermo in Style / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

LA PLATA.- The Handicap Haras Don Florentino will take top billing on an otherwise modest Thursday program at La Plata, with the 1000-meter dash for 4-year-olds and up offering a meager purse of 4,355,000 pesos to the winner. Still, it presents a solid opportunity for Yukon Jack to bounce back into the winner’s circle as the race’s leading contender.

A son of Remote, Yukon Jack has been assigned the top impost of 60 kilos—arguably a kilo less than he might deserve—and returns to a course where he’s already enjoyed stakes success. Sixth in the G1 Gran Premio Ciudad de Buenos Aires and fifth in the G3 Clásico Santiago Lawrie, the Stud Abuela Amalia representative looks well-placed to regain form.

Yukon Jack’s finest hour came on the main track at Palermo in early April, when he dominated the G3 Clásico Estados Unidos de América by eight commanding lengths, dispatching a solid field and firmly establishing himself in the upper echelon of the sprint division. He also counts a victory in La Plata’s Clásico Platería and a third-place finish in last year’s G2 Clásico Ciudad de Buenos Aires among his credentials.

His most dangerous rival appears to be Viejos Tiempos Mask (Mask, 57.5 kg), a stakes winner in the Clásico José María Boquín (L) who, despite his recent inconsistencies, remains capable on his best day. He was a respectable fourth last out in the Clásico Mariano Moreno and will be looking to rebound.

Beat Me (Cosmic Trigger, 54 kg) returns after a 202-day layoff and now under the care of Fabián David. Fourth behind Viejos Tiempos Mask in the Boquín earlier this year, the lightly weighted 4-year-old showed early promise as a juvenile and could turn in a sharp effort fresh.

Breaking from the rail, Cántaros Song (Alcindor, 58.5 kg) brings ample stakes experience to the table. Though his recent third in a conditions race was underwhelming, he previously won the Especial Haras Vacación and finished a close second in the Handicap Haras La Providencia, enough to consider him a player here.

Wave Rimout (Remote, 55 kg), a veteran campaigner, arrives in good form following two solid performances in Dolores and shouldn't be dismissed, while Muy Muy Seguro Chuck (Chuck Berry, 57 kg) returns from a layoff after closing his last campaign in March with a win in the Clásico Veloces de la Recta Azuleña.

Yukon Jack may have struggled in his last two appearances, but the return to La Plata and a softer field could provide the perfect backdrop for a confidence-restoring win.