Iniesta remains perfect at 3, wins Clásico del Caribe with López

Unbeaten as a 3-year-old, Iniesta (2-1) stalked the early pace, moved in front late in the second turn and ran on to a 1 1/4-length victory Sunday in the $500,000 Clásico del Caribe, the Carribean derby run at Hipódromo La Rinconada in Caracas, Venezuela.

Owned by Claudio Álvarez, trained by Oscar González and ridden by U.S.-based jockey Paco López, the Zeewat colt won the 1 1/8-mile race at a time of 1:51.09 on a track that was rated fast. The early fractions were 23.49, 47.58, 1:12.32 and 1:36.79.

Post-time favorite Lyndacarter (4-5), a Vacation filly bred in Venezuela, led briefly in the second turn before being passed by Iniesta. She finished second under Emisael Jaramillo, who was denied a record-extending sixth victory in the race. Amelazado, with Javier Castellano riding, was another four lengths back in third. King Ponchi, with Irad Ortiz Jr. up, wound up fourth in the field of 10.

The win ran Iniesta’s record to 10: 9-0-0, including a 4-for-4 campaign as a 3-year-old. It was the 14th Clásico del Caribe triumph for México, which moved into a tie for second with Venezuela, one behind Panamá in the 56 runnings of the race. Venezuela’s most recent win came in 2019, when López rode The Brother Slew.

The annual, black-type stakes features 3-year-olds who were bred in Carribean countries that are part of the Confederación Hípica del Caribe. The race rotates between nations and was held at Gulfstream Park from 2017 to 2019.

The Ortiz brothers, Irad Jr. and José, dominated the undercard. Irad had four wins and José three. Among the other U.S.-based jockeys who made the trip south, López had two wins, and Jaramillo came away with a first and four seconds.