South American Group 1 winner training in California for Del Mar Handicap

El Encinal, the narrow winner of the Group 1 Carlos Pellegrini Internacional in December, South America’s most prestigious race, is based in Southern California with trainer Mike Puype and bound for graded stakes this summer at Del Mar.

El Encinal, a 4-year-old Argentine-bred horse, won the Pellegrini at 1 1/2 miles on turf in Argentina in December, and joined Puype’s stable at Santa Anita earlier this spring. With the win in the Pellegrini, El Encinal earned a fees-paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Del Mar on Nov. 2.

Puype said on Friday that El Encinal is likely to have his American debut in the Grade 2 Del Mar Handicap, a $300,000 race at 1 3/8 miles on turf on Aug. 31.

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El Encinal worked seven furlongs in 1:28 at Santa Anita on Thursday, and has had seven workouts since mid-May. Puype said El Encinal will not work again until later this month when he relocates his stable to Del Mar and can work horses on turf. Santa Anita does not regularly conduct turf workouts.

Puype said the Grade 2 Eddie Read Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf on July 28 is too short for El Encinal.

“He’s training along,” Puype said. “They’re not in a big hurry to race him. The Eddie Read would be too much at a mile and an eighth.

“We’ll wait and go to the handicap. They want me to take my time. He’s a distance specialist.”

El Encinal won the Pellegrini by a head, and won a Group 3 at 1 1/8 miles on turf in Argentina last September.

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