Noche Sublime Faces Males Again in Falabella

A new year marks new goals, and the May 31 Club Hipico de Santiago Falabella (G1) at Club Hípico de Santiago offers new contenders on the path to the Breeders' Cup. Last year, the 1 1/4-mile race offered the winner an automatic berth to the $2 million Breeders' Cup Mile (G1T), something the winner, Gran Oriente (CHI) took advantage of by competing at Del Mar. This year saw a change with the winner set to receive an automatic berth to the $5 million Breeders' Cup Turf (G1T) through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In. The Breeders' Cup Challenge Series is an international series of stakes races where the winners receive automatic starting positions with fees paid into a corresponding race of the 2026 Breeders' Cup World Championships to be held Oct. 30-31 at Keeneland. This year's Falabella is set to showcase some of the newer talent in Chile as 3-year-olds dominate the entries; nine of them are set to take on four elders. Of those nine, six have experienced the Breeders' Cup Turf's 1 1/2-mile distance in February's El Derby (G1). Stud Dona Lili's Noche Sublime (CHI), a filly, nearly won that race when facing the boys for trainer Julio Orellana. She was defeated by a short head. She is well proven over the classic distance she'll face Sunday as her biggest win came in December's Las Oaks (G1) over the trip, and she exited the Derby to again be second March 27 in the 1 1/4-mile Gran Clasico Coronacion (G2). Noche Sublime leads a trio of sophomore fillies up to the challenge, and one 5-year-old mare in grade 3 winner Torna (CHI). The other 3-year-old fillies are familiar rivals to Noche Sublime in Oaks runner-up Eccentric (CHI) and third-place finisher Nartella (CHI). Both fillies are owned by Haras Don Alberto with Eccentric trained by Patricio Baeza and Nartella trained by Orellana. Eccentric joined Noche Sublime in the Derby, finishing fifth, before finishing third behind her in the Coronacion. She then finished second, beaten 2 lengths, to Nartella in the May 4 Carlos Campino (G2) over 1 1/8 miles. Edging out Noche Sublime in the Coronacion was Haras Don Alberto's Lorenzzo (CHI), a stablemate from the Orellana barn, who was fourth in the Derby. Prior to his 1 1/4-mile win, he was a grade 2 winner over 1 3/16 miles. Lorrenzzo is drawn in the middle of the field in post 7, while Noche Sublime is toward the inside in post 2. Both horses are by 2017 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) winner Mendelssohn, as are Nartella, Created (CHI), and My Way (CHI). The older runners do add intrigue against their younger counterparts. My Way has won a trio of graded stakes and was third in the Latinoamericano (G1) since finishing a disappointing 10th in last year's Falabella. The 2024 Falabella winner Frateli La Vita (CHI) is also back this year with five wins in his last eight starts. Alexander Munro Cabezas' Owen Jeep (CHI) is entered to take a step up in class for trainer Baeza, while riding a four-race win streak at the handicap level.