Paraná Miní Faces Tough Foes on Home Turf in Clásico Colombia

The son of Winning Prize returns to the track where he trains, looking to add another stakes victory to his resume on familiar ground

Paraná Miní is expected to go straight to the lead / HLP

LA PLATA, Argentina – A competitive field lines up for Tuesday’s feature at Hipódromo de La Plata, where the Clásico Colombia—a 1600-meter test for 3-year-olds and up run under allowance conditions—offers little more than pride, with a disappointing purse of just 4.9 million pesos on the line.

From the rail, local hope Paraná Miní (Winning Prize) looks poised to employ his usual tactics: go straight to the front and try to take them all the way home. Representing Stud Pancho.X.R., the speedster is back on the track where he trains and where he kicked off his 2024 campaign with a game win in the Clásico Jockey Club de Corrientes. Last time out, he faded to fifth behind the red-hot El Exito (Il Campione) in Palermo’s G2 Clásico Benito Villanueva.

Making the trip from Buenos Aires is Monsieur Delon (Il Campione), returning to La Plata for just the second time in his career—he finished fifth in a conditions race here over a year ago. He’ll be looking to rebound from a lackluster showing in the G2 Clásico América over the San Isidro turf, which followed a gutsy win in Palermo’s G3 Clásico Buenos Aires, also on grass.

But both will have to deal with the ultra-consistent Es Aristocrático (Angiolo), who returns to the mile three months after finishing third behind Storm Sound (Hi Happy) in the G3 Clásico Fortunato Novara—his only try over the distance. Trainer Marcelo Sueldo, though listed as assistant here to Juan P. E. Díaz, has taken his time with the 5-year-old, and connections will be watching closely to see if he thrives at this trip or needs to cut back again.

Also under Sueldo’s care is Educator (Il Campione), a seasoned campaigner returning off a break. Though not an ideal spot for a comeback, his past efforts—runner-up in the G3 Clásico Hipódromo de La Plata, third in the G2 Joaquín V. González, and second to Don Rocky (Equal Stripes) in the Especial Haras El Paraíso—suggest he shouldn’t be overlooked.

Rounding out the field are Laurus (Bodemeister), stepping up after back-to-back wins, and the tough-as-nails Código Postal (Seek Again), who won't go down without a fight.