Two South American Stakes June 26 Act as BC Qualifiers
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Photo: Julio Villanueva Bazalar fotógrafo del Jockey Club Del Perú
Last year's Gran Premio Pamplona winner, Reina de Mollendo, poses with a Breeders' Cup Challenge blanket after winning the race at Monterrico in Peru
In addition to the Takarazuka Kinen (G1) in Japan, two other international races that act as Breeders' Cup Challenge races will take place this weekend: the Grande Premio Brasil (G1) in Brazil and the Gran Premio Pamplona (G1) in Peru, both June 26.
Breeders' Cup Challenge races provide paid berths and a travel allowance to their winners into specific Breeders' Cup races at Keeneland Nov. 4-5.
Like the Takarazuka Kinen, providing a berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) is the 1 1/2-mile Grande Premio. Haras Doce Vale's Sugar Daddy leads the field of 18 starters.
Sugar Daddy, trained by Venancio Nahid, has four wins in seven starts, which includes his first group 1 win last time out in the 1 1/2-mile Cruzeiro do Sul at Gavea (Brazilian Derby, G1) April 22. A 3-year-old son of Wild Event , Sugar Daddy stalked the leaders while sitting in third until the top of the stretch, and then took over at the quarter-pole and extended to a 1 3/4-length victory over Don Cambay.
The big disappointment in the Cruzeiro do Sol was Stud Verde's Online, who finished third, 2 3/4 lengths behind Sugar Daddy as the 3-5 favorite for trainer Luiz Esteves.
Esteves is also starting the lightly raced 3-year-old Cromwell for Haras Niju and Stud Enternamente Rio, and Stud Red Rafa's Osprey.
Osprey has six wins in 12 starts and scored back-to-back victories in group stakes races at Gavea. Last December, he won the 1 1/2-mile Grande Premio Almirante Tamandare (G2) by 3 3/4 lengths and began 2022 by taking the Grande Premio Escorial (G1) March 13.
Jorel and Roxoterra are others of note.
Gran Premio Pamplona Provides Berth Into Filly & Mare Turf
Stud Wall Street's Samay, undefeated in four starts, leads the Gran Premio Pamplona for a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series berth into the Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T). A field of 13 fillies and mares has been entered in the 1 1/4-mile race at Hipodromo Monterrico.
Trained by Juan Suarez Villarroel, Samay has won from five furlongs to 1 1/4 miles in his quartet of starts, all at Monterrico. Villarroel is also saddling Dos Stud G's 3-year-old Raika, who has won her last two races at Monterrico since finishing fifth in the Clasico Kimba.
Stud H. Santa Maria's Africa has finished third in her last three races, which included the Clasico Republica Argentina, where she finished 4 3/4 lengths behind Raika after leading the field by three lengths at the top of the stretch.
Stud Patriots' Ola Perfecta has won eight of 19 starts on turf. She made a bold move passing Africa for the lead inside the final furlong of the Clasico Republica Argentina but could not hold off Raika.
Stud Augusta's Mediapunta, bred in Kentucky by R.S. Evans, could be an emerging star following her 9 1/4-length allowance race win over the course June 11. A daughter of Tonalist out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Akron Gold, Mediapunta began racing last September and broke her maiden in her third start, winning a seven-furlong race by 3 1/2 lengths. Prior to her recent allowance score, she finished sixth in a 1 1/8-mile allowance race on Feb. 26 at Monterrico.