NEWS
Bien Toi rallies to win Dardo Rocha
Posted: Saturday, November 21, 2009 2:09 PM
by Michael Burns
San Francisco del Pilar’s Bien Toi picked up his first stakes victory as he rallied to win the Gran Premio Dardo Rocha (Arg-G1), Hipodromo La Plata's premier event on Thursday in Buenos Aires.
Making his first start at La Plata, the four-year-old Lasting Approval colt closed from off the pace under steady handling from Pablo Falero to defeat 2008 Estrellas Classic (Arg-G1) winner Flag Copado by three-quarters of a length.
Flag Copado made his return to the races after finishing seventh in the Gran Premio Republica Argentina (Arg-G1) in May at Palermo.
Trained by Guillermo Frenkel Santillan, Bien Toi covered 2,400 meters (11.93 furlongs) in 2:32.45 on a muddy track for his first victory on the dirt.
A 1 1/2-length winner on turf at San Isidro late in his three-year-old season, Bien Toi entered off two consecutive placings in group races, including a runner-up effort in the 2,500-meter (12.42-furlong) Clasico Comparacion (Arg-G2) at Palermo on October 18.
Bien Toi, who is out of the General (Fr) mare Bien Belle, now could target the Gran Premio Carlos Pellegrini (Arg-G1), South America's signature race on December 12.
Also on the card, Conocedor, a consistent five-year-old Colonial Affair horse, won his fifth consecutive start with a four-length triumph in the Gran Premio Joaquin V. Gonzalez (Arg-G1), his first victory at the highest level.
Ridden by female jockey Andrea Marinhas, Conocedor covered 1,600 meters (7.95 furlongs) in 1:36.18 to stamp himself as La Plata’s top miler.
Michael Burns is a South America-based Thoroughbred Times correspondent
