A breeding farm and its rider secured top honors at a rodeo competition, dedicating their win to a family member.
El Convento breeding farm was crowned champion of the Provincial Rodeo in Free Series at the Quillota Club of the Quillota Association, a victory they dedicated to Raquel Guíñez (Q.E.P.D.), the mother of Alvaro Baeza.
Baeza and Pablo Aninat won riding Bendita and Romerita, scoring 38 solid points. They also placed third with Romería and Tarántula, earning 32 points.
Baeza told Caballoyrodeo.cl about the dedication made in the rodeo grounds to his mother: “I can’t start without remembering my mother (Raquel Guíñez, QEPD). She passed away last Wednesday, and we had doubts about competing this weekend, but since she was the one who instilled in me a love for the Chilean horse and traditions, I said there’s no better way to honor her than to compete and bring out the horses that were ready.”
“So, with difficulty and some doubt, I went to compete, and having my mother’s help makes it easier. Clearly, that’s the main flavor of this triumph. It was emotional, demanding, but life goes on, and the rodeo is a good reflection of what life is like. Sometimes you receive a good bull, sometimes a bad one, but you always have to ride it,” he added.
Regarding the Provincial competition, he said: “It was a nice rodeo, well organized. There were American-bred cattle in the series and the championship. The Champions Series was more of a qualifying final. Highly good, challenging, but very good. It was a very good rodeo, and that allowed the horses, Bendita and Romerito, who have experience, to keep adding points until they won the championship.”
“Meanwhile, the other team, also well-prepared, Romería and Tarántula, finished third. Tarántula hadn’t competed since May, so it was a good test. We need to get in shape, as the qualifying round is coming up soon. We need to be precise because we only have one opportunity, one qualifying round,” he added.
Baeza spoke about the Northern Qualifying round, saying: “There will be only one opportunity. When there are two opportunities, you can relax, create a mistake, and have time to correct it. Now there isn’t; everyone has to arrive in top condition, or they won’t be able to. That will be a characteristic of this new format, it will be interesting, and I personally think it will favor smaller corrals, due to the number of spots and how competitive it will be. We’ll see what conclusions are drawn from this format.”
He also discussed the breeding farm’s preparation for the selective round: “I don’t think the mares will compete again. Bendita and Romarito have met the requirement for the 2027 Qualifying round, which is very good. We have less than a month until the Melipilla Qualifying round, and we will only work at home. The mares are in good physical condition. We need to maintain them to arrive at a good level for the Qualifying round. Arriving well is a strategy.”
“The work to compete in the rodeo and the Qualifying round is a team effort. We have to ride them well, take care of them, and have them in perfect working order to arrive in the best possible shape. We all want to do the same, but only some will succeed. I want to congratulate and thank Pablo Aninat, my teammate, for his human qualities and as a rider. It’s a privilege to compete with him, and we’ve turn into very close,” he concluded.
Pablo Pino and Martín Durán took second place riding Risco Liso Laurencio and Risco Liso Ramoncito, with 37 points.
Danilo Castillo and Mario Bravo also competed with Corral La Bartola II Estruendo and Trasnoche de Las Palmas Patriota, scoring 30 points; Criadero Palmas de Peñaflor with José Rojas and Juan Ignacio Meza on Rebueno and Boleta with 27; and brothers Cristián and Enrique Escobar on La Pretensión Renuncio and Vientos de Constancia Mallarauco with 21.
Agua de los Campos and Maquena Detalle, ridden by Alvaro Baeza, won the Breed Seal.
