by Michael Burns

Stud Rubio B’s hard-knocking four-year-old Honey Nov scored a decisive victory in the Gran Premio Miguel A. Martinez de Hoz (Arg-G1) over a firm turf course on Saturday at Hipodromo San Isidro.
 
Ridden by Jorge Ricardo, the Romanov colt won an intense stretch drive to earn a legitimate three-quarter-length victory over El Galactico. Favorite Life of Victory finished one length back in third in the 11-horse field.
 
A troubled sixth in last season’s Gran Premio Internacional Carlos Pellegrini (Arg-G1), the Juan Carlos Etchechoury Jr. trainee covered 2,000 meters (9.94 furlongs) in 1:58.03 to record his first victory at the highest level and third overall in 11 career starts for owner Ricardo Benedicto’s Stud Rubio B.
 
With the victory, Honey Nov earned the right to be designated by the Argentine Jockey Club to represent  Hipodromo San Isidro in next month's Gran Premio Asociacion Latinoamericana de Jockey Clubs, South America's most important weight-for-age race for that continent's top handicap horses to be held at Lima’s Hipodromo de Monterrico on March 15.
 
Runner-up in last year’s Gran Premio Estrellas Classic (Arg-G1), Copa de Oro (Arg-G1) and third in the Gran Premio General San Martin (Arg-G1), Honey Nov was bred in Argentina by Juan Carlos Bago’s Haras Firmamento. He is the first foal out of the Fitzcarraldo mare Honey Fitz.

Michael Burns is a South America-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent