La Validada Edges Stablemate in Gran Premio Criadores

Buenos Muchachos' La Validada nosed out stablemate Summer Rae to win the May 1 Gran Premio Criadores (G1) at Hipodromo de Palermo. With this victory, La Validada becomes the first horse this year to earn an automatic starting position into the $2 million Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series.

Both La Validada and Summer Rae are trained by Juan Saldivia.

Following the late scratch of race favorite Verde Pipian, 11 fillies and mares broke from the gate in the Gran Premio Criadores. La Validada, dismissed at 15-1 on the odds board, tracked behind pacesetter Pura Verdad and Son de La Negra through the first half-mile. Summer Rae, saving ground throughout, inched up along the rail at the end of the backstretch and took the lead on the turn for home with Emirit Craf in close pursuit.

At about the same time, jockey Gustavo Calvente swung La Validada extremely wide into the stretch and began a furious drive to the wire. In the final yards, La Validada surged past Emerit Craf and bested Summer Rae at the line.

La Validada completed the 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.54.

Bred in Argentina by Eduardo Alfredo Solveyra, the 4-year-old daughter of Valid Stripes  out of the Thunder Gulch mare La Subordinada, La Validada earned her first victory since taking the Clásico Inés Victorica Roca (G3) last July. She entered the Gran Premio Criadores off a fifth-place effort in the April 9 Clásico Paseana (G2) over the turf in her only other start this year.

Last year's Gran Premio Criadores winner, Blue Stripe , contested in the Breeders' Cup Distaff but could fare no better than seventh. The Marcelo Polanco trainee captured her first North American graded stakes yesterday when she landed the Santa Margarita Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 82 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky on Nov. 4-5.

As a part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees of La Validada to start in the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff. Breeders' Cup will also provide a $40,000 travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the pre-entry deadline of Oct. 24 to receive the rewards.