Alma de Acero Among 15 for GP 25 de Mayo
Description:
Group I winner Alma de Acero is among the 15-horse field set for the Gran Premio 25 de Mayo (Arg-I) May 25 at San Isidro, with the winner getting an automatic berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (gr. IT) at Keeneland.
The Gran Premio 25 de Mayo, to be run at 1 1/2 miles for 3-year-olds and up, is part of the international Breeders' Cup Challenge series of 78 stakes races whose winners receive automatic berths into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup Word Championships.
Stud Baltasar's Alma de Acero, trained by Augustin Pavlosky, has won five consecutive races, including the 1 1/4-mile Premio Matinez de Hoz (Arg-I) at San Isidro in February, prevailing by a half-length over 2013 Gran Premio de Mayo winner Ordak Dan.
A 5- year-old son of Versallesco, Alma de Acero opened the year by capturing the listed Clasico Botafogo, and has also won the Clasico Porteno (Arg-III) during the streak. Alma de Acero will break from the No. 1 post position with jockey Gustavo Calvente.
Misterio's Ordak Dan, a 6-year-old son of Hidden Truth, was injured after winning the 2013 Gran Premio de Mayo and was off for 1 1/2 years until last December when he finished 18th in the Carlos Pellegrini (Arg-I). He's improved, though, in his three starts of 2015 for trainer Juan Etchechoury. In addition to his runner-up finish in the Martinez de Hoz, Ordak Dan was second in the listed Botafogo Handicap in January, and was most recently fifth in the Gran Premio Republica Argentina (Arg-I) on dirt at Palermo. Jorge Ricardo has the mount on Ordak Dan breaking from post six.
La Frontera's Río Vettel won 1 1/4-mile Premio Republica by two lengths on May 1, but will be making his turf debut Monday. Trained by Isidoro San Millan and ridden by Walter Aguierre, the 3-year-old son of True Cause has won four of his last five starts including the group one Gran Premio de Provincia Buenos Aires on dirt last October.
Tata y Tigre's Must Go On will break from the outside post under Geronimo Garcia. The 3-year-old son of Freud was fourth in the Martinez Hoz. Trained by Nicolas Martin Ferro, Must Go On won the Premio Clasico de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (Arg-II) at 1 1/2 miles on Turf last November at San Isidro, and followed that with a third-place finish in the Pellegrini.
Vadarkblar's Es Despues is a lightly raced colt who is making his first start in graded company, who comes into the race with three condition races victories in five starts. Trained by Jose Palacios, Es Despues will be ridden by Eduardo Ortega.