Gran Premio Nacional 2026 Schedule: What Time and How to Watch

Schedule: Gran Premio Nacional 2026 time in your zone

The Gran Premio Nacional 2026 runs on Saturday, November 14 at Hipódromo de Palermo in Buenos Aires. Post time is 6:30 p.m. local, which is 4:30 p.m. US Eastern (New York, Miami).

That 18:30 start comes from the organizers' announcement of the race-day program for the track's 150th-anniversary celebrations. The official race-by-race program had not been posted when we checked, so treat the other races' times as unknown for now.

How to watch

• TV and streaming: no broadcaster or stream for this year's Nacional had been announced as of November 9, in Argentina or abroad. We will add it here as soon as it is confirmed.
• What happened earlier this year: for Palermo's Gran Premio República Argentina card in May, Global Media Turf announced a free live stream on its YouTube channel. That is a useful place to check, but it is not a confirmed plan for this race.
• In person: entry to the track at Avenida del Libertador 4101 is free on race day, according to the organizers.

What the Gran Premio Nacional is

The Nacional is Argentina's Derby. It is a Grade 1 for 3-year-olds over 2,500 meters on dirt at Palermo, and the longest of the country's three classic tests.

It closes the Argentine Triple Crown:

1. Gran Premio Polla de Potrillos: 1,600 m on dirt at Palermo, in September.
2. Gran Premio Jockey Club: 2,000 m on turf at San Isidro, in October.
3. Gran Premio Nacional: 2,500 m on dirt at Palermo, in November.

There will be no Triple Crown winner in 2026. Linguado was awarded this year's Polla after Fletcher was disqualified, and Stay Tune won the Jockey Club. Neither Linguado nor Fletcher is in the Nacional's field.

The prize money is serious by South American standards: a purse of 319.5 million Argentine pesos, with 150 million to the winner, per Turf Diario.

The field: 14 ratified starters

This is the real field, not a list of nominations. Fifteen horses were entered, and 14 were ratified at the deadline on Friday, November 6, when the post positions were also drawn. Héroe con Gloria, one of the original entries, is not among them.

Jockeys had not been published in the sources we checked. Late scratches are always possible, so confirm the field on race day.

The names to know

• Stay Tune (post 3): won the Gran Premio Jockey Club at San Isidro by 1½ lengths over Hi Pocho and runs for Las Monjitas, trained by Carlos Daniel Etchechoury. Turf Diario's report on the ratified field puts him at the head of expectations. The catch: it is his first start on Palermo's dirt and his first at 2,500 m.
• Cool Bro (post 8): won the Clásico Eduardo Casey (G2, 2,200 m) at Palermo by 2 lengths. All four of his starts have been at Palermo, so he knows the track; the open question is the extra 300 m.
• Cahuel Win (post 13): unbeaten in two starts at La Plata, including a 13-length debut and a 5-length win in a Grade 3 over 2,000 m. Lightly raced and drawn wide.
• Hi Pocho (post 10): won the Clásico Ensayo (G3) by 6 lengths, then ran second to Stay Tune in the Jockey Club. Like Stay Tune, he faces a big step up to 2,500 m.
• Pancho Gio, Mister Volare and Paulo Sil: second, third and fourth behind Cool Bro in the Casey. Paulo Sil is still a maiden.
• Sifnos (post 1): a stablemate of Stay Tune, also trained by Etchechoury.

What to watch for on Saturday

Turf form on dirt. Stay Tune and Hi Pocho, first and second in the Jockey Club, come out of a race on San Isidro's grass. Dirt at Palermo rewards a horse that handles kickback and a different rhythm, and that only shows up on the day.

The stamina question. At 2,500 m this is a true test of stamina for horses who are still only three. Watch who is still traveling easily as they turn for home, and who is being pushed along.

Course and distance. Cool Bro and the other Casey horses have run at Palermo over 2,200 m. On paper that is one of the closest rehearsals in the field.

The post draw. Stay Tune has a handy inside post at 3, while Cahuel Win and Mister Volare start from 13 and 14. Over this distance a wide draw matters less than in a sprint, but it can still cost ground on the first turn.

New to racing terms like "post," "maiden" or "Grade 1"? Our glossary explains them, and our disciplines guide puts flat racing in context.

Going to Palermo: a race-day checklist

Palermo opened on May 7, 1876, and turned 150 on May 7, 2026. The Nacional card is billed as part of its 150th-anniversary celebrations, and the organizers are pitching it as a family day.

• It is free. Entry is open to the public, per the organizers.
• Arrive early. Kids' games and activities start around midday, with the food fair also open from midday and a Paseo de las Provincias (provinces fair) planned.
• Three Grade 1s on the card. Besides the Nacional, there is the Gran Premio Palermo over a mile and the Gran Premio Maipú, a 1,000 m sprint with 20 ratified horses.
• The anthem. The singer Emanero is set to perform the national anthem with the Granaderos (the mounted grenadier regiment) minutes before the Nacional, then give a concert later that evening.
• Be kind to the horses. Keep children back from the rail and the walking ring, no flash photos toward horses, and follow staff instructions. Our safety page has the basics for being around horses.

What happens next

• Before Saturday: look for the official program with the times for every race and the confirmed jockeys, and for any broadcast announcement. We will update this page.
• On the day: check for late scratches, and for whether rain changes the dirt surface.
• After the race: this page will switch to the result, the winning time and what it means for the winner's next target.

Follow more racing and horse news on our trends page, or talk about the race with other fans in the community.