Il Campione wins El Derby in Chile; Next Goal the “Latino”

Il Campione wins El Derby in Chile; Next Goal the “Latino”: Every Chilean horse racing fan looked forward to watching the most important race in Chilean horse racing on Sunday, February 1, 2015. The third leg of the Triple Crown, the El Derby G1, ran over 1 ½ miles on the turf took place at Valparaiso Sporting with the presence of champion Il Campione and his eternal rival Fantasmagorico. The first Derby took place in 1885 with only three participants, but over the years, Chilean horse racing has improved so much that the 2015 edition featured 16 horses.

The 2015 Derby started with the lady Connie Nistel (Arg) going to the lead and giving encouragement to the race. Il Campione sat in second place controlling her while Bjork held on in third place. Guacho Fresco was fourth while Fantasmagorico was running far back. Connie Nistel’s adventure was short because Il Campione’s rider, Hector Berrios, decided to take the lead after the first 4-furlongs and wait for an alleged attack from Fantasmagorico. While everyone was expecting Fantasmagorico’s late run, the stretch was all Il Campione’s show, running like he had just starting the race. Finally, the champion won the race by 9 ¼ lengths. Fantasmagorico coming from the clouds reached second place, Indy Noble third and Katmai fourth. Interestingly, three of the four horses who hit the board are sons of Scat Daddy.

Il Campione, a son of Scat Daddy – Global Gold by Pleasant Tap clocked the 1 ½ miles in 2:24.05. He never urged and made the race easy. He was ridden by Hector Berrios, trained by Sergio Inda and is owned by Stud Alvidal. Il Campione’s next goal is the Gran Premio Asociación Latinoamericana de Jockey Club e Hipódromos (G1), aka known as just “El Latino”, to be contested on March 14, 2015 in Hipodromo de Palermo Argentina at over 1 ¼ miles on the dirt. The Latino turns really interesting this year because it will feature runners with great quality, such as Idolo Porteño winner of the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini G-1 representing Argentina, Liberal representing Peru, and the possible participation of Hielo, winner of the Gran Premio Jose Pedro Ramirez G-1 representing Uruguay, among other good horses.

Il Campione’s ability to handle the dirt is still a mystery since he threw his jockey at the start of the second leg of the Chilean Triple Crown, the St. Leger. That race was his debut on the dirt, but he has a great quality, and deserves a shot in the dirt in the Latino.