The Endorsement colt comes off victories in the Ayacucho (G3) and Haras Argentinos (L) and faces seven rivals in the opening leg of the Campeonato de Oro, set over 2000 meters
The 2025 racing season in Argentina is gradually gaining steam. Grezzo (Hi Happy) claimed the first G1 of the year, the Gran Premio Miguel A. Martínez de Hoz, just a few days ago at San Isidro, and this afternoon, the Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo will host the Super Sábado, featuring four stakes races, including the start of the Campeonato de Oro for both horses and mares, as well as the next stages of the juvenile selection process on dirt.
The 2000 meters of the Clásico Otoño (G2), for 3-year-olds and older horses, will cap off the series of major races, which will also feature the Saturnino J. Unzué (G2), Arturo R. y Arturo Bullrich (G2), and Santiago Luro (G2). The absence of top figures is clearly noticeable.
El Kodigo (Equal Stripes), the top horse in the division, is no longer in the country, now residing in Saudi Arabia along with Intense for Me (Fortify), who defeated him in the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini (G1). Mezzopiano(Daddy Long Legs) is recovering and dreaming of a comeback, with the turf stayers now targeting the Gran Premio 25 de Mayo (G1), including Grezzo and the Peruvian Don Feres (Singe the Turf).
With that, the stage seems set for other names to step up and make a mark in the staying division. Eight horses are confirmed, with only a couple of 3-year-olds among them, and a predominance of horses with conditional records, further emphasizing the void left by the departed stars.
When selecting a favorite, the current form of Endor Rye (Endorsement) is overwhelming. He is clearly enjoying the best moment of his career, peaking at the end of January with a 4-length victory in the Clásico Haras Argentinos (L), adapting seamlessly to the 2000 meters, having previously won the Ayacucho (G3) over 2500 meters, defeating G1 winner Epityrum (Portal del Alto) and Look Portal (Portal del Alto), who would later claim two consecutive stakes victories.
Now approaching 7 years old, El Darwin (Il Campione) has seen his fortunes rise again, having previously defied the odds to beat Safety Honour (Safety Check) in the Handicap Val D'Or and then winning by an astonishing 16 lengths in the Handicap República de Francia. He drops down to 2000 meters and returns to a track where he is yet to win, but he is a horse to watch, likely adding speed to the race development.
Roberto A. Pellegatta and Endrigo Gennoni have high hopes for Need You Tonight (Hat Ninja), who faces his first graded challenge after two solid conditional victories, the latest by 6 lengths over Sueño Argentino (Equal Stripes).
The other colt in the field, Chelato (Cosmic Trigger), finished third to Concord (Remote) over a mile in his most recent start. On an upward trajectory, he has a solid opportunity to begin mixing it up with the classic stayers.
Operístico (Daddy Long Legs) finished far behind Endor Rye in the Ayacucho, and will need significant improvement to challenge him here, while Endo Verde (Endorsement), Haddok (Interaction), and Boyero Spring (Greenspring) round out the group, which is logical but not particularly dazzling.
With likely heavy ground, Palermo promises a fantastic card this afternoon, one to enjoy from start to finish.
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