South American Championship to be Simulcast in U.S.

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For the first time, the premier championship event for South American Thoroughbreds will be simulcast into North American when Uruguay's Maroñas National Racetrack plays host to the 25th running of the group 1, $150,000 (U.S.) Gran Premio Latinoamericano March 18.

This will be the first time that the Gran Premio Latinoamericano, a 2,000 meters (about 1 ¼ miles) event for 3-year-olds and up, returns to Maroñas since the inaugural running in 1981.

Much like the Breeders' Cup World Championships, the race is run at a different South American racetrack each year. Last year, it was carded at Argentina's San Isidro, and the winner was Argentine-bred Don Incauto.

Laurel Park will serve as the North American hub for the race. It will be carded as Laurel's ninth race with post time at approximately 4:30 p.m. CST - the race prior to the start of the Magna 5. There will be win, place, show, exacta, trifecta, and superfecta wagering with Maryland's standard takeout rates.

Argentine Group 1 winner Storm Mayor and Latency are expected to vie for favoritism in the field of 12.

Storm Mayor, a 3-year-old Bernstein colt, defeated 19 rivals in Argentina's group 1 Carlos Pellegrini at 1 ½ miles on turf in December. Overall, the Roberto Desvard trainee has won three of eight starts and $139,985.

Meanwhile, Latency, a 4-year-old son of Slew Gin Fizz and the top money earner in the field with $190,323, won last month's Gran Premio Martinez de Hoz at San Isidro for his third group I triumph in the last seven months. All five of his career wins for trainer Juan Udaondo have come against stakes company.

Storm Mayor, who drew the rail, and Latency, who'll break from post 9, completed their final serious preparations for the race last week with workouts at San Isidro. Storm Mayor went five-eighths of a mile in :59 4/5, while Latency moved seven furlongs in 1:25 1/5. They are expected to travel to Montevideo, Uruguay March 15.

Others entered are Gal's Honey and Sixty Finder from Argentina; Consul Romano, Ring Wells, Mar de la China, and Special Bull from Chile; Baleriana and Caico from Peru; and Necessaire and Jampro from Uruguay. No horses were entered from Brazil due to logistical problems.

South American rider Pablo Falero, a native of Uruguay and Argentina's champion jockey for the past decade, was named to ride Gal's Honey, one of three horses riding a two-race win-streak into the race. The others seeking a third straight win are Jampro, an upset winner of the group I Gran Premio Jose Pedro Ramirez at Maroñas in January, and Necessaire.

Here's the field in post position order (with jockeys):
Storm Mayor (Jorge Valdivieso);
Consul Romano (Luis Torres);
Baleriana (Carlos Trujillo);
Mar de la China (Oscar Meneses);
Ring Wells (Hector Barrera);
Caico (Victor Fernandez);
Special Bull (Hector Berrios);
Sixty Finder (Jose Mendez);
Latency (Julio Mendez);
Gal's Honey (Falero);
Jampro (Waldemar Maciel) and
Necessaire (Fernando Olivera).

Major Leader (Mario Gonzalez) and The Best (Carlos Bueno), a pair from Uruguay, were entered, but placed on the also-eligible list.

Baleriana and Necessaire are stakes-winning females and considered to be the best hopes for their countries: Peru and Uruguay, respectively.

Baleriana is a four-time stakes winner and Necessaire has won seven stakes, including a win over males in her last out at Maroñas, getting 2,000 meters (1 ¼ miles) in 2:00.22. Consul Romano, twice a winner in seven starts, is thought to have the best chance for Chile.

Brazilian-bred horses have won the Gran Premio Latinoamericano eight times, followed by Chile (five), Peru (five), and Argentina (three).

The winner's share of Saturday's race is $90,000 (U.S.).

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