‘Liberri’, with Lasartearra Raúl Ramos, won the San Sebastián Grand Prix last year. /
The San Sebastián Grand Prix closes the summer season with a great duel between ‘The Way of Bonnie’ and ‘Up Helly AA’
They say that the end of the summer wind leaves people tired. The enthusiasm of the San Sebastian fans fades as the afternoons shorten and the dew moistens the mornings. The closing day is celebrated this Friday (11.35) with a melancholic jingle as a backdrop. The echoes of the commotion and hubbub of the great moments are barely heard when only the usual ones remain.
The end of the summer is staged this Friday at the racecourse with the dispute of the dean; a lesson in classicism and history to sweeten the ending. The three casualties compared to the probable partant that we savored on Sunday have left the race with fewer alternatives, but in any case we are facing a good edition of the San Sebastian Grand Prix.
The winners of recent years show us a common denominator among the crowned: quality and substance appear as essential attributes to prevail in the 2,800 meters this Friday. ‘Between Cups’, ‘Achtung’, ‘Hippodamus of Miletus’, ‘Emin’… are the greats who have inscribed their names in history, and this year they will have a worthy successor.
‘The Way of Bonnie’ is no longer a kid, but he’s still a horse. Third in the Gold Cup with a clearly improvable route, the increase in distance and a less numerous field will allow him to enjoy a much more comfortable race. He has recovered from the effort on August 15 better than from the Madrid Grand Prix, so we are waiting for him soon to give the best version of him.
A group rival
The favorite’s main opponent comes from Mont de Marsan. The San Sebastian Grand Prix was marked in red on the agenda of ‘Up Helly AA’ for months and Philippe Sogorb is not usually one of those who stumble twice. After failing in the Gold Cup with ‘Ninth Titan’, he returns to Donostia with another Niarchos representative.
Although run down, this is a horse that until last year competed at the highest level. The value that he gave in Group races in Ireland would be a guarantee of victory, but the last few months have not been easy for him. Neutered last fall, since then they have had him in cotton wool. His efforts have been very measured and, after passing the Dax Grand Prix exam, this Friday he will face his most demanding commitment of the course.
At the decision of the favorites, a winner of the Memorial appears as ‘Chevalier Cathare’. Fifth in the Gold Cup, his bullish form makes him a serious threat unless a lack of stamina catches up with him. And we remember that the history of the San Sebastián Grand Prix does not admit horses with a lack of background. In that sense, the other four applicants are more than enough, although when it comes to quality it seems that only ‘El Caney’ could have made enough progress to be the protagonist.
The day, which will be covered by PMU in the first four of the program, will serve to resolve the statistics of the Basque summer. Yeguada Rocío repeats in the owners statistics, with Guillermo Arizkorreta leading among the trainers. Of course, the ten victories of the Gipuzkoan could be surpassed by a Jesús López who has saddled nine winners. Ricardo Sousa and Borja Fayos, suspended this Friday, will not be able to fight on the track for the summer statistics. Both have 13 wins, so Janácek would catch up with them if he achieves a hat-trick this Friday.
