Trainer Patricio Baeza will saddle five starters, including Stud Dona Eliana Spa's hard-charging filly Mama Lili (CHI) and Herane Escaff's Mi Elegido (CHI), in the 1 1/4-mile Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella May 29 at Club Hipico de Santiago in Chile. The winner of the Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella, which drew 12 starters, will earn an automatic starting position, and fees paid, into the US$2 million FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile (G1) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In.
Now in its 16th season, the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 80 stakes races whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race at the Breeders' Cup World Championships, which is scheduled to be held Nov. 3-4 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.
Mama Lili has won seven of nine starts for Baeza. After taking the 1 1/4-mile Las Oaks (G1) at Club Hipico in December, the 3-year-old daughter of Ivan Denisovich (IRE) has won two of three starts this year. Following a third-place finish in the 1 1/2-mile El Derby (G1) at Valparaiso Sporting Club in Santiago Feb. 5, she captured the March 19 Gran Clasico Coronacion Pablo Baraona by a neck over Netinna (CHI). In her most recent start, the 1 1/4-mile Otono Pedro Garcia de la Huerta (G2) April 30, she closed furiously along the rail inside the final furlong to finish second. However, she was elevated to first place after it was ruled that she was interfered with by Aucar (CHI) in deep stretch.
Mi Elegido has come back into form after 10th- and fourth-place finishes, respectively, in the El Derby and the Coronacion Pablo Baraona. Following a second to Costa Del Norte (CHI) in an allowance race going 1 1/4 miles April 14 at Club Hipico, Mi Elegido returned May 5 at the same track to win a 1 1/4-mile allowance by a neck over Muy Donoso (CHI) as the 7-5 favorite. A 3-year-old son of Seeking the Dia, Mi Elegido earned his first Group 1 triumph when he won the 1-mile Polla de Potrillos last August at Club Hipico.
Baeza also has entered two more fillies by Ivan Denisovich in the 3-year-olds Costa Del Norte, and Agricola Stud La Nonna's Netinna (CHI). Costa Del Norte has won her last three races, and is six for 11 lifetime. Prior to defeating Mi Elegido in her last out, Costa Del Norte, owned by Agricola Ancali, romped to a 7 1/2-length victory in a 1 1 /4-mile allowance at Club Hipico in March. She opened the season Feb. 5 with a 1 1/4-length victory in the listed 1-mile Alberto Solari at Valparaiso Sporting Club.
Nettina has finished second to Mama Lili in five of her last six starts. In the closing stages of the roughly run Huerta, Aucar impeded the path of Netinna, who was battling Mama Lili along the rail. Netinna crossed the line third but was elevated to the runner-up position after the race. Last year, Netinna finished second to Mama Lili by a length in the Las Oaks as the 2-1 favorite. Netinna does have two Group 3 wins at 1 mile on her resume, taking the Julio Subercaseaux Browne and the Cotejo de Potrancas, both at Club Hipico last spring.
A main threat comes from Agricola Haras Jockey's 3-year-old Lukka (CHI), who made his biggest career triumph in his last race April 29 when he captured the 1 3/8-mile Gran Premio Hipodromo Chile (G1) on dirt by three-quarters of a length. In his prior race, Lukka, who is trained by Juan Baeza, finished second to Fortino (CHI) in the El Derby. A chestnut son of two-time North American Eclipse Award winner Lookin at Lucky, Lukka has finished in the money in all nine of his starts.
Despite his disqualification in the Huerta, Sergio Larrain's ever-consistent 6-year-old Aucar has finished in the top three in an incredible 18 of his last 19 starts, dating back to March 2021, for trainer Jose Fernandez. A winner nine times in 33 starts, the son of Mastercraftsman (IRE) finished second to Succeso (ARG) in the 2021 Grand Premio Club Hipico Falabella (G1). He won six consecutive races after that, including the Group 2 Copa de Oro Maria Luisa Solari in November 2021, but has been victorious only once in his last nine starts.
Also of interest is Stud Carvatero's Muy Donoso, also a son of Lookin at Lucky. Trained by Guillermo Aguirre, Muy Donoso is joining Group stakes company for the first time this year. Two races prior to his runner-up finish to Mi Elegido in the May 5 allowance race, Muy Donoso won a 1-mile allowance March 10 at Club Hipico.
As a part of the benefits of the Challenge Series, Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the winner of the Gran Premio Club Hipico Falabella to start in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile. Breeders' Cup will also provide a travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships. The Challenge winner must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the pre-entry deadline of Oct. 23 to receive the rewards.
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