Tamburo Di Oro Earns Breeders' Cup Mile Berth

Don Alberto Stable's 4-year-old homebred Tamburo Di Oro rolled past Brown Storm in the final furlong of the May 26 Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella (G1) to capture the about 1 1/4-mile turf race at Club Hipico by two lengths under jockey Jeremy Laprida. The win earned Tamburo Di Oro an automatic berth into the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T) through the international Breeders' Cup Challenge.

The Breeders' Cup Challenge is an international series of 86 stakes races whose winners earn a fees paid entry into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif., Nov. 1-2.

As part of the benefits of the Challenge series, the Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for Tamburo Di Oro to start in the Breeders' Cup Mile. Breeders' Cup will provide a $40,000 travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships.

Following the race, Breeders' Cup South American representative John Fulton confirmed through representatives of Don Alberto Stable that Tamburo Di Oro will be pointed to the Breeders' Cup Mile at Santa Anita.

A bay son of Henrythenavigator out of the Proud Citizen mare Tabita, Tamburo Di Oro won his fourth race in his last five starts, and his first group 1, for leading trainer Guillermo Aguirre. 

Breaking from post 7 in a 12-horse field, Tamburo Di Oro tracked in third behind pacesetters Brown Storm and Peumayen through the first six furlongs, saving ground along the rail. Coming into the stretch, Brown Storm opened up a commanding lead over the 2-1 favorite and Aguirre-trained Nombar, but just as quickly, Laprida roused Tamburo Di Oro and surged past Nombar and Brown Storm for the win. Nombar finished third, followed by El Expreso. 

Tamburo Di Oro covered the distance in 1:56.24 over a course listed as normal for his sixth win in 14 starts.

Following a disappointing 15th-place finish in the 1 3/8-mile Gran Premio Hipodromo Chile (G1) on dirt three weeks ago, Aguirre returned Tamburo Di Oro to the turf course, where he won three consecutive races this year. Tamburo Di Oro opened the year by winning a six-furlong handicap Jan. 14 at Club Hipico and stretched out to 1 1/8 miles over the same course a month later. Winning by 7 1/2 lengths. Tamburo Di Oro made it a trio of turf wins by capturing the March 20 listed Municipal de Vina del Mar by 1 3/4 lengths at Valparaiso.    

The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, now in its 13th year, will be held at many of the world's premier racetracks in 11 countries:  Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, England, France, Japan, Ireland, Peru, South Africa, and the United States.

The Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella was the third of five Breeders' Cup Challenge races to be run in South America for the 2019 season. Il Mercato qualified for the Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) when he won the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini (G1) in December at San Isidro, and Entropia won the Gran Premio Criadores at Palermo in Argentina to earn an automatic berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).