(CNN)Celebrating the very first-class thoroughbred racehorses in South America, the Gran Premio Latinoamericano is the most prestigious date on the continent’s racing calendar. The race, also known as the Longines Latin American Grand Prix, was first run in Uruguay in 1981 and, much like the Breeders’ Cup inside the USA, is held at a one-of-a-kind place every yr. A continuously converting venue allows the race to stay clean, with the distance and surface many every 12 months.
The stunning Club Hipico de Santiago, Chile, performed host to today’s version of the spectacle in a rustic steeped in racing records. The one hundred fifty-12 months-old venue changed into a European style and stocks a hanging resemblance to the enduring Longchamp Racecourse in Paris. When the thoroughbreds fly out of the stalls to the cry of an impassioned crowd, it is now not just the $500,000 prize purse up for grabs, even though. National pleasure is also a considerable part of South America’s richest horse race.
National pride
Entrants represent their international locations in the Latinoamericano — similar to inside the Olympic Games.
This 12 months’ race featured members from 4 traveling countries — Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina — who’re all looking to project their Chilean hosts for the prize. Brazil is the maximum a hit u. S . A. Inside the 35-yr history, with 10 winners, the Chilean horses had a different gain on the Club Hipico de Santiago.
“We run clockwise; all other race tracks in South America run counterclockwise. ISo it’s an advantage for sure; the instances we host the Latino, we most effective have victories from Chilean horses,” racecourse manager Oscar Vargas advised CNN Winning Post. It’s a sample that all over again repeated itself in 2019, with favorite Ya Primo triumphing Chile its 9th victory. It becomes triumphing teacher Guillermo Aguirre’s first victory within the race, a feat that left him visibly emotional. “It’s this sort of outstanding feeling to be up there with the opposite horses among such exquisite skills. I lost my spouse four months ago, and I’m quite positive she’s assisting me from the sky,” he advised CNN’s Winning Post.
