Imperador wins at San Isidro, gives Treasure Beach 6 Gr. I winners in Argentina

Treasure Beach’s Argentinian runners have a penchant for turning in huge performances on the days when the races from San Isidro are simulcast back to Gulfstream Park or Laurel. Imperador added his name – again – to a long list yesterday.

The 4-year-old colt had Altair Domingos in the saddle in the Gr. I Gran Premio Miguel Alfredo Martinez De Hoz at 1 1/4 miles on the turf. Imperador, already a Gr. II winner in the Dos Mil Guineas on Aug. 28, was sent off as the 5/2 second choice in the race for 4-year-olds and up competing for $53,700, which is a monster purse on the Argentine calendar.

Domingos took Imperador away quickly from the No. 8 post and the colt quickly opened up by two lengths down the backstretch. He retained that lead and wasn’t seriously threatened until the turn, when Jolly Good, part of the favored 2-1 entry, came up alongside him. But Domingos turned him away and kept Imperador going for the length of the long stretch after racing a mile in 1:35.13, despite the colt drifting to the middle of the course. He won by about a length in 1:57.87, paid $7.40, $4.60 and $3.00, and gave Treasure Beach six Gr. I winners down south.