GROSS sales of P72,059,676 for the MetroTurf Thoroughbred championship series, coinciding with the Dr. Ramon D. Bagatsing Memorial festival of 17 races, were recorded among the biggest sales in all stakes races for the year, attended by racing aficionados in large numbers.
Undefeated thoroughbred Morally (Mo Town-Street rally by Hardspun), ridden by star jockey Mark Alvarez and owned by G. Gaerlan, trained by Ernesto Roxas, won the second leg of the Prince Cup stakes, pulling away in 1:23 over 1,400 meters.
The second leg of the King’s Gold Cup went to Varatti (Into Mischief-Artemis by Empire Maker), ridden by Jockey Jeff Zarate, owned by James Rabano, trained by Ramon Nartea, registered a similar time of 1:23 over the same distance.
James Richardson, chief executive officer of ThoroughBid, England’s leading thoroughbred auction house, attended both races and pledged to bring European racing and technology to the Philippines. He also said his company would host an annual auction sale of European horses in the country to enhance the quality of thoroughbred racehorse bloodstock.
To supplement traditional horse racing in the county, MMTCI President and CEO Atty. Narciso Morales, Richardson, along with Philracom chair Reli de Leon, started exploring the possibilities of introducing Quarter racehorses soon, a concept that will feature a match-up of two thoroughbreds in a new racing genre to be called as Red and White races.
After staging the Triple Crown series of the Prince Cup and the King’s Gold Cup for thoroughbreds from America, Morales expressed another unique idea of establishing a similar championship series in the near future, this time from imported racehorses from Europe and Australia.
Morales assured the racing industry that for next year, new developments are on the table in order to attract new or younger generations to thoroughbred horse racing.
The third and final leg of the Prince Cup and King’s Gold Cup championship series will be held at the Metro Turf Racing Club in Malvar, Batangas, on Sept. 14 with a guaranteed prize money of P12 million or P6 million per stakes race.
