Racetrack Life: Uruguayan Adventures
Day 1: Arrival
I get why people talk about loving Uruguay. This place is magical. There's a lightness and a friendliness that's tough to explain, but totally different from the hustle-and-bustle of the big American cities I call home.
After a whirlwind day of never-ending travel, I got busy handicapping Friday‘s 21 races with an ocean breeze flowing through an open window. When my computer needed to charge, I took a walk down the street. I stumbled – quite literally – upon a really cool abandoned building next to a cute cafe right along the water. I also made a friend of the canine variety and became enamored with a set of benches and posts that have literally weathered the test of time. I wrapped up the evening at the hotel, watching race replays to familiarize myself with the local horses.
Day 2: Surprise!
This was a moment that will make me smile for a long while. On the 30-minute drive out of the city, headed to the Ramirez press BBC at Haras Cuatro Piedras, I got to talking with an Argentinian reporter who spoke as much English as I speak Spanish (ie: very little). He asked where I was from, and I said “San Francisco.” At that, he got excited and said with a big grin “Russell Baze!” Yes. Exactly. Further proof that jockeys are racing's great ambassadors (oftentimes even more than the horses).
Now onto the big fun of the day. First, let's just say I'm not a huge fan of surprises. I'm all for spontaneity, but I do like to see what's coming around the corner. So it was quite a shock when the press BBQ was not only a chance to mingle with fellow journalists from around the world, but a chance to meet Invasor.
Yes, the Breeders' Cup Classic-winning Invasor. Admittedly, I wasn't his biggest fan on the racetrack, but only because I wasn't familiar with his history and missed out on betting him the day he cruised to victory. I was living in Lexington when he went to stud at Shadwell and I vaguely recall hearing he was going to shuttle to South America, which – as an Argentinian with a pedigree to match – was not a surprise.
Back to today. After a delicious lunch in one of the more beautiful courtyards I've seen (outside of the Cloisters in Avignon), we walked out to the stallion barn and his royal handsome highness walked out. I knew Invasor was pretty, but – wow – he has one of the most striking presences I've ever felt.
The groom kindly paraded Invasor around the ring for nearly 10 minutes. He posed, he strutted, and the horse did too! For a stallion with eight crops under his belt, I would have thought he'd have been a bit more edgy, shown a bit more evidence of his testosterone. But no; he wasn't exactly as docile as a barn pony, but there was a kindness to his eye and his demeanor that was undeniable. At the same time, he also kind of reminded me of the high school quarterback who knows he doesn't have to study: Invasor knows he's the king of the castle.
After they put him up, they brought out his barn-mate, an exceptionally shiny, near-black stallion named Awzaan. He was a Mark Johnston-trained sprinter who began his career undefeated but never quite found his footing routing.
Later on we were treated to an operatic performance by the bartender/tango singer that was pretty spectacular. We were also joined by several mares and foals, including an adorable Awzaan baby named Le Figaro, out of an Elusive Quality mare named Chasing Alpha who ran a few unremarkable times for Al Stall at Churchill Downs.
Safe to say that these were the kinds of surprises I like!
To end the day, HRU threw a lovely cocktail party at a hotel on the water in Montevideo. It was one of the more gorgeous rooms I've ever had the pleasure of being in. The food was delicious and the company delightful. This entire experience has been first class all the way around!
Friday is the big day: 21 races at Maronas with race 18 being the featured Ramirez. A full field of 14 horses will go postward. For all the news that's fit to print on the day, be sure to follow @HipodromoUY on Twitter and Instagram, and join me at @MollyJoRosen on Twitter for some behind-the-scenes goings on.
Day 3 (Part 1): The Racetrack
After accidentally overpaying my taxi driver double the fare (pro tip: keep a currency converter app handy when traveling in foreign countries), I walked into basically the most lovely building I've ever been in. It also happens to be a racetrack. If you haven't already been here: Maroñas needs to be on your Track Bucket List.
The building is large but there's a quaintness that makes it feel really special. As I said, this place is magical.
After walking outside past the food trucks towards the paddock, I saw a “voting box.” This may be the most genius way to get fans involved: writing your name on a slip of paper and dropping it into the slot to show your support for a runner in the Ramirez… that's the perfect way for people to feel invested in the outcome of the race without making them fork over money. I've said it before: betting is great, but the goal needs to be making people care about the race itself. Bet a beer, bet a hotdog, bet bragging rights: have some vested interested and you'll keep coming back (and maybe put money through the windows next time).
After casting my vote for Descocado, I hung out by the paddock. It's really reassuring that horseracing is run basically the same way, with the same cast of characters, no matter where you are in the world. Beyond good horsemanship, I saw an amazing amount of love between horses and their grooms.
Even as early as the first race, the stands were crowded. The betting lines were growing long and the Maroñas Kids tent was busy handing out ice cream to happy youngsters.
One really cool thing about Maroñas is how many ways you can see horses. Horses walking over to the saddling stalls have to first parade down a lane between the apron and the track: you can literally reach out and touch them (I did) or you can take up close photos, as I saw a kid doing.
The saddling stalls are covered (it's cool that horses come over a few races before their own) and the walking ring is between the two buildings, so it's both outdoors and shaded. Once horses are on the track, there is literally not a bad seat in the house.
We've been treated to great racing, cool concerts, a performance by a troop performing tricks on horseback, and we're only about one third of the way through the racing action. I've contributed to the handle and I hope you have too!
Day 3 (Part 2): The Ramirez
At the end of the day: a capacity crowd packed into Hipódromo Nacional de Maroñas to witness Gandhi Di Job route his rivals in the 119th running of Uruguay's signature race, the Clásico Gran Premio José Pedro Ramírez (URU-G1).
Coming into the race, so much of the buzz focused on the three Brazilian shippers, but it turned out that having experience over the Maroñas strip was key.
The dark bay son of Job Di Caroline out of the Villach King mare Fidelidad broke well and lead the full field under the wire the first time and drew away to win by several lengths late in the lane under Federico F. Piriz. It was the second consecutive win for the Jorge Firpo-trainee, who had been away from the races since capturing the G1 Gran Premio Nacional in early November last year. Interestingly the runner-up in that contest, Brilliante Ok won the Clásico Gran Premio Cuidad de Montevideo (URU-G1) on the undercard today.
It was a great day filled with amazing people. Codere, since December the sole owners of this beautiful track, have a phenomenal facility on their hands. This is how racing should be conducted. I surely hope everyone gets to experience the magic that is Maroñas.
