Argentina’s Sixties Song wins 2017 Longines Gran Premio Latinoamericano in Chile

Ridden by Juan C Villagra, Sixties Song finally broke the nine year wait for a horse from Argentina to win South America’s most important international Group 1 horse race again.

Not since the success of Latency in 2006 has Argentina tasted success in the Gran Premio Latinoamericano. However The Alfredo F Gaitan-trained horse came in ahead of Tinku in second and Full of Luck in third to send the Argentinian contingent at the Valparaiso Sporting Club into understandable delight.

There was extra significance ahead of the 33rd running of the race as Uruguayan horses returned to the tracks to compete in the contest for the first time in several years.

Sixteen horses were up for the challenge of a distance of a mile and a half and it was Villagara who guided Sixties Song from out of the pack to run on to claim an assured win by two and a half lengths. Tinku, under jockey Bernardo Leon, ran on well for second with Full of Luck, ridden by Jorge A. González, a further three and three-quarters of a length back in third.

Deep End (ridden by Valdine R. Gil) and Kodiac Boy (under E. Talaverano) took fourth and fifth place respectively.

The Longines Gran Premio Latinoamericano is organised by the Organización Latinoamericana de Fomento del Pura Sangre de Carrera (OSAF) with the race held in a different country of Latin America each year.

Swiss watchmaker Longines are the Official Partner of the OSAF, and title partner, official timekeeper and official watch of this event. The winning owner, trainer and jockey were all presented with elegant Longines watches for their performance, as were the winning team of the Longines Cup, Thompson Mattews.

It has also been confirmed that the 2018 Longines Gran Premio Latinoamericano will take place in Montevideo, Uruguay, next March.