Joy Melódica Returns Around the Bend in the Handicap Carlos A. Zarlengo, Eyes Another Win

The daughter of Fortify headlines a light Palermo card, with the track saving its heavy artillery for the big May 1program

Joy Melódica has been putting together a remarkable campaign / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

It will be another Saturday of racing at Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo, featuring a modest program as the track saves its heavy artillery for May 1, when the latest edition of the Gran Premio República Argentina (G1) meeting will be held.

The highlight of the afternoon will be the Handicap Carlos A. Zarlengo, a well-deserved tribute to the longtime trainer for Haras La Quebrada, who conditioned champions such as the unforgettable Spiny (Ringaro), Wally (Southern Halo), and Oceanside (Babor), among many others.

Open to 5-year-old and older mares and to be contested over 1200 meters around the bend, the race drew 11 entries and will feature the return of Joy Melódica (Fortify) to the turn after two solid straight-course efforts, during which she captured the Handicap El Centauro and finished a good second, beaten just 1 1/2 lengths by Vida Real (Qué Vida Buena), in the Handicap Perrier, her latest start.

A stakes winner in the Clásico Día de la Soberanía Nacional, the Germán Feliciani trainee will shoulder a hefty 60.5 kilos (133 lbs.) as she squares off against the tireless Aiyanna (Santillano, 58 kilos/128 lbs.), who will be making her eighth appearance of the season and her third in the month of April alone, always delivering solid performances. After winning the Handicap Ante Diem, she hit the board in each of her subsequent outings. In her most recent effort, she came up just short, finishing second by a length to Fantastic Woman (In the Dark) in the Handicap Jardy at San Isidro.

Always a brave runner, Una Causa (True Cause, 57 kilos/126 lbs.) is another to watch, consistently giving her best. She ran a strong race in late February when finishing just two lengths behind stakes winner Rosas del Rosedal (Forge) in the Especial Haras Cumeneyén, and could once again be a major player.

Looking for some higher-priced options, Mora Blue (Portal del Alto, 52 kilos/115 lbs.) could fit the bill, after finishing a respectable fifth, 4 1/4 lengths behind the outstanding Candy and Giant (Giant’s Pleasure), in the Handicap Jacinto Rafael Herrera, a race where she wasn’t far behind Aiyanna, who was second that day. She’ll carry a featherweight here, which could make her very dangerous.