Philtobo to stage Mitra Cup racing festival at Sta. Ana turf

Another blockbuster five-day racing carnival is in the offing when the Philippine Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders’ Organization (Philtobo) stages the third Philtobo Futurity Racing Festival—Mitra Cup Championships Oct. 2-6 at the Santa Ana Park.

The big event was officially launched yesterday in a gathering of racing stalwarts and supporters at the Coral Ballroom of Holiday Inn Manila.

"We are truly proud to once again spearhead the staging of this grand racing event, a tribute to the vision of Philtobo’s founding chairman, the late Speaker Ramon ‘Monching’ Mitra, who had tirelessly worked to improve the quality of our breed and the standard of our racing," said Philtobo Mitra Cup 2002 chairman Eric Tagle.

Highlight of the Philtobo racefest will be the running of five divisional Mitra Cup Championship Races, which include the three-year-old colts and three-year-old fillies’ championships on Oct. 5 as well as the twin-bill Juvenile Colts and Juvenile Fillies championships and the Classic on Oct. 6.

All five championship races carry a total bankroll of P500,000 each, with the winner guaranteed to receive P300,000 in prize money. In addition, winner of the featured races will also be receiving smaller replicas of the Mitra Cup mother trophy as rendered by renowned Filipino artist and sculptor Eduardo Castrillo, who was also present in yesterday’s affair.

The big winners in last year’s Mitra Cup Championships will again see action in this year’s highlight races, including 2001 three-year-old champions Batangas Entry and Ilocandia Slew, as well as, 2001 Juvenille standouts Golden Ballet and Mighty Strong.

Batangas Entry and Ilocandia Slew are set to square off in the 2,050-meter Classic and will be joined by Kitty Hawk and Lord of All, while multiple stakes winner Golden Ballet and Mighty Strong tackle separate rivals in the three-year-old filly and colt divisions over 1,600 meters.

The battle for supremacy in the Juvenile ranks will feature the much-anticipated rematch of Shining Pyramid and Tatler Cover in the Mitra Cup 2YO Fillies championship and the return of rising track star High Octane in the Mitra Cup 2YO colts championship. Both races will be run over a distance of 1,500 meters.

In addition to the five Mitra Cup races, other featured racing events lined up for the week include the Japan Racing Association (JRA) Trophy Race, an open race for both imports and locals co-presented by the Philippine Racing Club, Inc. and the Manila Jockey Club, Inc., in cooperation with the Tokyo-based JRA and the monthly PCSO Sweepstakes Race for maiden two-year-olds, a P450,000-guaranteed race sponsored by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.