Seas Alabada, Nao Da Mais Headline Latinoamericano

The movable feast that is the Longines Gran Premio Latinoamericano (G1)—the richest race in South America—is still on target to be run March 14 at San Isidro outside Buenos Aires, Argentina. Eighteen runners will fill the dual starting gates for the $500,000 turf race run at 2,000 meters (1 1/4 miles).

This year's lineup has been described as the best field to be assembled in a decade and features a pair of standouts.

The local star is the mare Seas Alabada, who drew the far outside post. The granddaughter of Southern Halo has made 11 of 12 starts at San Isidro and won the Copa de Plata-Roberto Vasquez Mansilla-Internacional (G1) at the same trip Dec. 8, her fourth consecutive win. She is the only mare in the field.

From Brazil is Nao Da Mais, who is the highest-rated horse in the cast and on the continent, with an international rating of 117 following his score in the Carlos Pellegrini-Internacional (G1) on the same course at 12 furlongs Dec. 14. The 4-year-old grandson of With Approval races for Benjamin and Ricardo Steinbruch. Nao Da Mais drew post 6. The win in the Pellegrini also earned him an automatic berth to the 2020 Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) at Keeneland as part of the international Breeders' Cup Challenge series.

The Latinoamericano is run under the auspices of the Organizacion Sudamericana de Fomento del Sangre Pura de Carrera and is the only grade/group 1 race that moves from country to country (the Breeders' Cup Classic, G1, was run once at Woodbine in Canada). The OSAF countries include Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, and Uruguay.

While the goal of OSAF is to have some participation from North America, and there has been some discussion of running the Latino in South Florida, horses who have run in the Latino have thrived in international competition. Last year's winner, the Haras Don Alberto-bred Ya Primo, came stateside for Sol Kumin's Madaket Stables, Don Alberto Stable, and Wonder Stables and ran a tremendous race in his debut, a runner-up effort in the Bowling Green Stakes (G2T) at Saratoga Race Course.

On the shelf since the fall, Ya Primo has just started galloping for trainer Chad Brown, and connections hope to have him racing against top competition this summer. In 2018, Roman Rosso won the Latinoamericano at Maronas in Uruguay and later ran fourth behind Horse of the Year Accelerate  in the $1 Million TVG Pacific Classic Stakes (G1). Sixties Song, the 2017 winner at Valparaiso Sporting Club in Chile, went on to compete at Royal Ascot.

San Isidro, which is owned by the Jockey Club of Argentina, will be hosting the Latinoamericano for the sixth time. It also hosted in 1982, 1992, 1998, 2005, and 2011.

The importance of the Latinoamericano is to showcase the best on the continent to help raise the bar internationally and to provide a rich payout. For example, Ya Primo earned $293,898 in last year's running. Seas Alabada has won five group races and has earned $124,066. Nao Da Mais has earned $173,715 with four group 1 wins to his credit.

On the day's undercard is the Longines Cup (G2) for older fillies and mares. Expected to be the favorite is Haras Don Alberto's Brooke, a Chilean 3-year-old filly by No Nay Never, who stands at Coolmore Stud in Ireland. Brooke is a five-time winner from seven starts. Her most recent start Dec. 30 was a three-length score in the Las Oaks (G1) at Club Hipico in Chile. She has an international classification of 110.

The next-best in the 18-horse lineup is Pure Doris, a daughter of Pure Prize who has won her past three starts, including a 1 1/2-length victory in the one-mile Miguel y Tomas Juarez Celman (G2) at Hipodromo Argentino de Palermo.