The heavy favorite turned in a flat performance, while Las Monjitas’s runner delivered on the promise he had always shown
Kopke made the long-awaited step up to graded stakes level / JUAN I. BOZZELLO
A few days ago on Objetivo Breeders’ Cup, airing on Turf Diario TV, Francisco Leandro answered a viewer’s question about which Las Monjitas horses held the most promise.
He first mentioned Todo Cambia (Mootasadir), the younger half-brother to El Musical (Il Campione), who debuted with a win last week at three. Then he highlighted Kopke, the Hi Happy colt who on Friday at Hipódromo de San Isidro more than lived up to expectations, taking the step up in class everyone had anticipated by winning the gutsy Clásico Ecuador (G2) over a yielding turf mile.
The dark bay, bred by Haras La Providencia, combined stamina, grit, and tenacity in a race where he was a factor from the start, stalking frontrunner Talented Hit (Hit It a Bomb), who set fractions of 24.95 for the opening quarter and 47.47 for the half, with heavy favorite El Exito (Il Campione) close behind, trying to keep pace.
Turning for home, Talented Hit dug in along the rail, maintaining the lead until the final 100 meters, when Kopke finally seized command. Rushing late, What a Man (Mastercraftsman)—a companion to the leader—finished a neck back in second, just half a length ahead of his stablemate, all in 1:36.40.
And El Exito? He fell back over the final 400 meters, never fully asked by his rider Martín Valle, as if sensing it wasn’t worth pushing him. Turf has never been the best surface for the chestnut, who is nearly unbeatable on dirt. It’s also worth remembering he missed the Clásico Perú (G2) a few weeks ago due to a setback.
Coming off a narrow conditional win, Kopke repaid his team’s faith and delivered on the promise he had always shown. He also validated Francisco Leandro’s expectations, opening the door to G1 dreams at just the right stage of the season. The dark bay has arrived—now he must stay the course.