view raw text
Argentina Solito Surprises In Classic Score By HUGH LYALL Our Buenos Aires Correspondent BUENOS AIRES, Argentina. — Only a fortnight ago we were expressing doubt as to the staying qualities of Argentinas best looking three-year-old, Soli to Nigromante-Soledad . This week end he confounded the critics by winning the San Isidro classic 15 furlongs by eight or nine lengths. Far behind him was Shakespeare, who had beaten him on the same track 14 days earlier over 12 furlongs; and last in a field of six was Pipote, I who last year had beaten him in the Jockey Club at Palermo. Well may the able rac- J ing correspondent of "La Prensa" say So- | litos victory yesterday was so ample and brilliant that it is difficult to believe that | he is the same horse who was clearly beaten by Shakespeare in the General Belgrano I two weeks ago." If it was difficult to explain his earlier ; defeat, it is certainly not an easier task to give any sound reason for the bril-. liance of his latest victory. When he lost, there were two theories, both of which had their supporters. One was that Soli-to. and the Nigromantes in general, are not true stayers. The other was that although he had won on the grass at San Isidro he did not really like it and was a much better horse on the dirt track at Palermo. To complicate the problem still further, he was well beaten by Shakespeare at San Isidro on normal going. , Now Shakespeare is a notorious mudlark and Sundays going was heavy after rains during the night. Yet this time So-lit" finished at least a dozen lengths ahead of his rival! While not wishing to depreciate Solitos merits, our belief is that Sundays victory was due very largely to the way in which the race was run. When the tapes went up. none of the six jockeys seemed anxious to make the running. Then Ortiz Tapia, on Solito R. Quinteros rode him when he lost i. went away in front and quickly took a four lengths lead, with Huy second. Shakespeare third. Altar fourth. Pipote fifth and Velasquez last. At the first bend, the leader had increased his advantage to six lengths over Huy who was four in front of Shakespeare, with the rest of the field in Indian file, a length separating each of them. What a procession! The pace was a crawl, l:04-.:. being occupied in covering the first five furlongs. At the Acassuso bend, the race became livelier. Pipote moved up into fourth place and the distances began to close. Solito. running very easily, was content with a two lengths lead over Huy. who was one in front of Pipote, with the other three in a group behind. And so they came into the home stretch, where Ortiz Tapia shook up Solito who drew away to increase his advantage with every stride and win handsomely by an undeclared distance from Velazquez, who made up considerable ground in the later stages of the race, while Huy. who had run well throughout, went lame and finished fifth behind Altar and Shakespeare. Pipote, who was prominent at 11 furlongs, died away in the stretch and was last. Some of those who witnessed the race declared that the transformation in Solito was due to the change of jockey, who uses the snaffle. In Argentina, the curb is generally used. If that is the secret, then future races should confirm the theory. But the partial times for the classic appear to tell some part of the story. The first five furlongs were covered in 1:0425. the final five furlongs in :5945, the last furlong in :12I5. Which, in this correspondents opinion, suggests that the 15-furlong classic was really transformed into a sprint which the speedy, better-class Solito had no difficulty in winning, especially as he had several lengths advantage over his rivals when that five-furlong race began. It will be interesting to see what happens to Solito next time he runs over a distance, especially if the race is hard fought and intelligently ridden. Meanwhile, we have to accept the son of Nigromante as Argentinas best active three-year-old the "Derby" winner Labrador and several other good performers are still not in full training. Continued on Page Fifty -Two j Report From Argentina By HUGH LYALL Continued from Page Nine But he is a poor proposition for those who like to bet. A single defeat wipes out previous winnings, although on this ; latest occasion he returned a dividend I of .70 for two — the natural consequence of his defeat a fortnight . earlier. j I Saturdays meeting at Palermo had as its principal attraction the old Peru clas- j ] I sic, over a mile. This year the event at- j tracted few entries, well below average quality, if an exception be made of the winner, Don Varela, who won from start I to finish in a field of four by half a length from Titania. Time 1:36. This was Don Varela s third consecutive victory and sug- gests that he is one of the most improved j S horses racing at Palermo this season. He I 1 now has a total of six wins, four seconds, three thirds, two fourths, and only once I off the board. He was foaled in November, 1953, and is a son of Orsino fNearco out of Senorona by Mannering from School Bell by Felstead. Don Varela likes to go to the front and stay there. His excellent condition is a credit to his veteran trainer, Nicolas Ojeda.
