Ashview Farm issued the following announcement on Dec. 14
Haras Phillipson's 3-year-old homebred Nao Da Mais (BRZ), a three-time Group 1 winner in Brazil, was sent to Argentina and made his biggest career score on Saturday, going wire to wire under jockey Carlos Lavor and holding off the favored Mirinaque (ARG), to win the 1 ½-mile Gran Premio International Carlos Pellegrini (G1) by three-quarters of a length at San Isidro Racecourse. With this victory, Nao Da Mais earned an automatic berth into the 2020 Longines Breeders' Cup Turf through the international Breeders' Cup Challenge.
The Breeders' Cup Challenge is an international series of stakes races, whose winners receive automatic starting positions and fees paid into a corresponding race of the 2020 Breeders' Cup World Championships, which will be held on Nov. 6-7 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky.
Breeders' Cup South American representative John Fulton confirmed with connections of Haras Phillipson that they will prepare Nao Da Mais for the 2020 Longines Breeders' Cup Turf at Keeneland.
As a part of the benefits of the Challenge series, the Breeders' Cup will pay the entry fees for the Nao Da Mais, trained by Alfonso Barbosa, to start in the 1 ½-mile Breeders' Cup Turf. Breeders' Cup will also provide a $40,000 travel allowance for all starters based outside of North America to compete in the World Championships.
The Gran Premio International Carlos Pellegrini is the first Breeders' Cup Challenge Series race of 2020. The early date allows the race winner more preparation time for the 2020 World Championships.
Breaking alertly from post 12 in a 23-horse field, which included nine Group 1 winners from Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay, Nao Da Mais saved ground securing an early lead along the rail and extending it to as much as three lengths over Bonifacio Rye (ARG) through the first 1200 meters in 1:15.21. Mirinaque, winner of the Nacional (G1) (Argentine Derby), tracked Nao Da Mais all the way and made a bid for the lead in the last quarter mile under jockey Francisco Concalves. In a furious stretch drive, Mirinaque got as close as a neck to Nao Da Mais but the winner repelled every challenge and extended his margin at the wire. Pure Nelson (ARG) closed for third.
Nao Da Mais, a bay son of T.A Approval out of the Pitu Da Guanabara (BRZ) mare Espectacular (BRZ), completed the 1 ½ miles in 2:24.96 over a course rated as “normal.”
Nao Da Mais improved his record to five wins in nine starts. He came into Saturday's race off a Group 1 win in the 1 ½-mile Gran Premio Derby Paulista at Cidade Jardim in Sao Paulo on Nov. 9 by 3 ¾ lengths. His two other Group 1 wins this year were in the Grande Premio Joao Adhemar de Almeida Prado on Aug. 3, and the Grande Premio Juliano Martins on May 5, both at Cidade Jardim.
Sire T.A. Approval won the San Juan Capistrano at Santa Anita Park in 2005 and 2006, and the Del Mar Handicap in 2006. T.A. Approval finished eighth in the 2006 Breeders' Cup Turf at Churchill Downs.
Connections to Haras Phillipson also indicated that the next major goal for Nao Da Mais would be the Longines Latino Americano (G1) at San Isidro in March of next year.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Ashview Farm
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