Stud Red Raffa's homebred 3-year-old Sinsel powered to the lead inside the final three furlongs and held off Valparaiso by a nose to win the Grande Premio Brasil (G1) June 22 at Hipodromo da Gavea in Rio De Janeiro.
With the victory, Sinsel secured a fees-paid automatic starting position into the $5 million Longines Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In.
A son of 2012 dead-heat Travers Stakes (G1) winner Alpha, Sinsel, trained by Luiz Esteves and ridden by Leandro Henrique, completed the 1 1/2 miles in 2:24.40 for his third win in six starts and his second group 1 triumph. It was the sixth time that Esteves has saddled the winner of Brazil's most important race.
Sinsel ranged up five wide at the top of the stretch and passed a fading Galo White for the lead, while to his inside 18-1 Valparaiso and the 3-1 favorite Ethereum made determined charges to the wire but came up just short in a blanket finish. Sinsel's previous top-level win came in the March 9 Franciso Eduardo e Linneo Eduardo de Paula Machado (G1) going 1 1/4 miles.
Also Sunday at at Hipodromo de Monterrico in Peru, Stud Amistad's La Kika outlasted Jet Set's Mathilde in a furious stretch drive to win Sunday's Gran Premio Pamplona (G1). With the victory, La Kika earns a fees-paid, automatic starting position into the $2 million Maker's Mark Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1T) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In.
In the stretch Mathilde and La Kika were moving with the greatest momentum. Battling side to side inside the final sixteenth of a mile, La Kika found one more surge and prevailed by a half-length.
La Kika, the 2024 Peruvian Horse of the Year and champion 3-year-old filly, trained by Luis Quimper and ridden by Diego Lozano, completed the 1 1/4 miles in 2:03.86, and registered her sixth win in 11 starts, and her third Group 1 triumph.
Prior to two off the board finishes this year, in 2024 La Kika scored group 1 wins in the Sept. 15 Clasico Polla de Potrancas at one mile on dirt and in the Dec. 15 Gran Premio Nacional Augusto B. Leguia (G1) going 1 3/4 miles on turf.
Challenge winners must be nominated to the Breeders' Cup program by the pre-entry deadline of Oct. 20 in order to receive the rewards.
The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of 93 stakes races in 15 countries whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships, scheduled to be held Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at Del Mar.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
