by Michael Burns
 
Peruvian champion juvenile Granizo split horses in deep stretch en route to a comfortable victory in the Clasico Gran Premio Nacional Augusto B. Leguia (Per-G1), the final leg of the Peruvian Quadruple Crown, on Sunday at Hipodromo de Monterrico in Lima.
 
Ridden by Juan Pablo Vargas and sent off as the favorite in the 11-horse field, Granizo drove with determination in the stretch to score by 3 3/4 lengths over Quiron and three-year-old filly Democracia in the 2,600-meter (11.92-furlong) classic, covering 2:38.80 over turf rated firm.
 
Conditioned by Eduardo Pianezzi, Granizo entered the race off an impressive two-length turf debut in the 2,000-meter Clasico Stash on January 13. He improved his record to six victories from ten starts for owner Mario Brazzini’s Stud MBB.

With the victory, Granizo became the first colt in four years to capture the Peruvian classic, stamping himself as a leading candidate for champion three-year-old turf male honors for the 2007-‘08 Peruvian racing season.

Granizo’s victory also represented jockey Juan Pablo Vargas’s last winning ride in Peru before he embarks on a U.S. campaign.
 
Bred by Haras Rancho Fatima, Granizo is a three-year-old gray colt by champion sire Farallon P. and is out of out of Slovenia, a Group 3-winning daughter of Peruvian Quadruple Crown champion and successful turf sire Stack.

Michael Burns is a South America-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent