Wentrue Leads Deep Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella

Stud Tobe's rising star Wentrue leads a 14-horse field for the 1 1/4-mile Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella (G1) May 26 at Club Hipico de Santiago in Chile. The race winner will earn a paid berth into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In.

Now in its 18th season, 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 at the Breeders' Cup, taking place this year Nov. 1-2 at Del Mar.

Wentrue is trained by Patricio Baeza, who has entered five horses in Sunday's race. Wentrue has made just four starts but has won convincingly three times. After breaking his maiden at seven furlongs by 8 1/4 lengths on dirt at Club Hipico last October, he won his next race, over the Club Hipico turf course at a mile in December. A 3-year-old gray or roan son of Mo Town   out of the Tapit   mare With Love , Wentrue remained unbeaten when he scored a three-length victory in the Jan. 7 Copa Juan S. Jackson (G2) at Valparaiso at 1 3/16 miles. Entering grade 1 competition for the first time in the March 17 El Derby (G1) at 1 1/2 miles, Wentrue challenged stablemate and eventual Chilean Triple Crown winner Kay Army for the lead at the quarter pole but finished 6 1/4 lengths back in second.

Baeza has also entered Stud Paola's Seatbelt, Haras Don Alberto's homebred Niquense, who was Chile's 2022 champion 3-year-old colt, Stud La Nonna's Flyng Hearts, and Stud Salvapatos' Le Koppers.

Seatbelt, a 3-year-old son of Constitution  , has won five of 11 starts, including back-to-back 1 3/16-mile allowance races in March and April at Hipodromo Chile. The 6-year-old Niquense, also by Constitution, has not started since August. Last June, he won the 1 1/2-mile Gran Premio de Honor (G2) at Hipodromo Chile, and captured the St. Leger (G1) in 2021.

Flyng Hearts produced a solid, runner-up effort in finishing three-quarters of a length behind Pantonne in the March 22 1 1/4-mile Gran Clasico Coronacion Pablo Baraona (G2) at Club Hipico. The 3-year-old son of Constitution won four consecutive races over the course in 2023, culminating with last October's score in 1 1/8-mile Paddock Stakes Jaime Allende (G3). Le Koppers, a son of Mo Town, won an April 29 prep race at 1 1/4 miles over the course by 6 1/4 lengths.

Haras Vendaval's 3-year-old filly Ionosfera has won four of her nine races, all at Club Hipico, for trainer Juan Silva. A daughter of Practical Joke  , Ionosfera comes into the race off a neck victory in the April 26, 1 1/4-mile Otono Pedro Garcia de la Huerta (G2). That was her third graded stakes triumph. Last June, in her second start, she captured the Criadores Hembras Carlos A. Hirmas (G2), and two races later, won the one-mile Polla de Potrancas (G1) by 4 1/2 lengths.

As part of the Challenge Series benefits, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella winner to start in the Breeders' Cup Mile. Breeders' Cup will also provide a travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships.