The winner broke smartly from the gate under Cristian Velazquez, taking just 4.8s to reach 30 mph (ranked 1st) and ultimately getting the better of the eventual 4th Uncle Moi to hold the lead around the first turn. Gordianus was the fastest horse over the opening quarter of a mile. This pair were able to control the pace, slowing things down along the back straight as the pace dropped below 12.5s furlongs. This caused the field to concertina in behind, but Gordianus was able to maintain a consistent stride frequency which varied by less than 3% all the way along the back straight. We will come to his stride frequency figures in a moment, but the key point was that both horse and rider were able to maintain their rhythm, conserving energy before the pace began to lift around the far turn. Uncle Moi was the first to commit for home, moving forwards under Martin Valle to take a lead of over a length into the turn, but Gordianus always had him within his sights and began to close as they came into the straight. Once in front, Gordianus was held together despite the attentions of Blue Caviar (8th) on his outside and he was the last horse to come off the bridle with just over 400m to run. At this point, Gordianus quickened smartly and despite drifting to his right into the centre of the course, he established a lead of a length and a half and held that with the fastest final furlong in the race.

In a tactical race, where position and speed were the key, the fact that the winner recorded the highest stride frequency figure in the field at an average of 2.28 per second cannot be a coincidence. Perhaps more significantly, he was able to increase his average into the penultimate furlong. A horse with proven form at this level, ideally placed with the turn-of-foot to take advantage was always going to be hard to pass. His top speed of 38.59 mph ranked 2nd of the 13 runners, but his peak average stride frequency of 2.52 per second was a clear best (next best In the Island 2.40 per second) and those contributing factors, allowed him to get into the right position and then use that to best effect in the straight. This was the 2nd win in the Gran Premio Nacional for trainer Hugo Perez, with his first coming back in 2008 with Tecla Shiner, but even in his wildest dreams he cannot have imagined a better race setup for his son of Señor Candy.

There are no obvious excuses for the likes of Uncle Moi and Blue Caviar who had every chance and simply weren’t good enough on the day, but I will add a small note for the runner-up, Winston. He was one of the few horses to make ground from the rear of the main pack and having to weave his way through the field has hindered his chances. He recorded a longer stride than the winner at an average of 23.44 ft and he recorded the best run-out speed in the field at 33.69 mph. The winner appeared to be idling in front and may well have won anyway, but the race certainly favoured those who raced prominently and as a result, the performance of the 2nd can at least be upgraded.