Furia Cruzada Earns BC Distaff Berth in ARG

Chilean-bred filly Furia Cruzada rallied strongly from off the pace to deny Carinosa a victory in  the Gran Premio Criadores (Arg-I) May 1 at Palermo 

 

The daughter of Newfoundland, ridden by Juan Villagra for prominent Argentine trainer Alfredo F. Gaitan Dassie, found a wall of horses into the stretch but was deftly angled out for running room. She finished the 2,000-meter (about 1 14-mile) contest in 2:02.07, notching the third group I win of her career and earning an automatic berth in the Breeders' Cup Distaff (gr. I) later this year at Keeneland. 

 

Carinosa bested Argentine champion 3-year-old filly Kalithea (by Exchange Rate  ) for second in the eight-horse field. 

 

The Gran Premio Criadores is part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge series and the first of five Challenge races to be held in South America this year. The $2 million Breeders' Cup Distaff will be run at 1 1/8 miles Friday, Oct. 30 at Keeneland.

 

Carinosa, a Tiznow   filly with Matias Median at the reins, tracked pacesetter Perugia Top from second throughout while Villagra settled Furia Cruzada well back in fourth. Carinosa gained a narrow lead in the stretch as the front-runner weakened and faded, but she but could not keep pace with winner who, once clear, steadily closed ground down the center of the track to win by about one length. 

 

Furia Cruzada captured the 2014 Alberto Solari Manasco (Chi-I) last November and the Haras de Chile (Chi-II) in December, both at Hipodromo Chile. She entered Friday's race off a victory in the Gilberto Lerena (Arg-I) April 4 at Palermo. Those races bookend starts against males in the El Derby (Chi-I), in which she was sixth of 16 runners in February, and Gran Premio Longines Asociacion Latinoamericano (Arg-I) in which she was 11th in March.

 

Furia Cruzada was bred by Haras Dadinco from the winning Hussonet mare Nuestra Machi and is from the family of Chilean Horse of the Year Val Gardena. With Friday's win in the colors of Haras Cachagua her record improves to 6-2-2 from 14 career starts.