Kevin Banegas enjoyed a spectacular afternoon, capping it off with a victory aboard Mr Neil in the Handicap Intérprete

The jockey captured five races at Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo, including one of the day’s co-feature events aboard the Valid Stripes colt

Once Mr Neil kicked into gear on the outside, he proved unstoppable / JUAN I. BOZZELLO

Kevin Banegas continued what has already been an impressive season, enjoying a perfect afternoon Friday at Hipódromo Argentino de Palermo, where he booted home five winners, including a key score aboard rising star Mr Neil in the Handicap Intérprete (1200m, dirt), one of the two feature-level events on the card.

Banegas delivered a polished ride on the lightly weighted son of Valid Stripes, making the most of his 54-kilo impost. Positioned perfectly in the clear down the stretch, Mr Neil unleashed a powerful late rally to score by 3/4 of a length over the favored Hop On (Endorsement), who carried 56 kilos.

Stepping up from the allowance ranks and making his stakes debut, the Stud El Galopón runner showed marked progression, displaying class and determination to finish strongest when it counted. Early pacesetter Fanatismo Pass(Distinctiv Passion) tired late to finish third, another 1 1/2 lengths back, while Burgess Shale (Safety Check) checked in fourth after racing well back early and never threatening. Final time for the race was 1:08.37, following reportedly sharp early splits of :22 and :44.45.

Bred by Cornelio Donovan and María I. Solveyra at one of Haras Don Yayo’s divisions, Mr Neil is trained by the team of Walter Suárez and María F. Alvarez, with the latter responsible for saddling the colt.

Victorious on debut, the dark bay has blossomed since August 2024, winning four of his last seven starts while hitting the board in the others, and now boasts career earnings of ARS 17,171,500.

Mr Neil hails from one of Don Yayo’s cornerstone female families, tracing back to Deneb (Etienne Gerard), also responsible for multiple stakes winner Galileo (Lefty), black-type performers Astrónoma (El Asesor) and Galilei (Good Bloke), as well as Luna de Agua (Good Bloke), dam of El Lunicornio (Algenib), hero of the G1 Gran Premio 25 de Mayo.