Wind Blown honored in racing festival at Sta. Ana

Philippine racing’s most celebrated galloper Wind Blown will be honored on Dec. 7 during the Wind Blown Racing Festival, a one day spectacle fostering unity among the various industry sectors and top-notch thoroughbred action, at the Santa Ana Park.

No less than Wind Blown’s owner, prominent sportsman Hermie Esguerra, is organizing the affair in tribute to the multi-titled horse who has caught every racing fan’s fancy over a spectacular career that spanned for four years.

"I’d like to share with all of my fellow owners, breeders and racing fans alike that very special day as we honor Wind Blown, a horse whom we have all grown to love and adore," said Esguerra, who only last week officially announced Wind Blown’s retirement to stud.

"The event does not only augur well for the racing and breeding industry. It is also worthy of people from all sectors of the industry coming together on that particular day realizing how much Wind Blown has popularized the sport," added Esguerra.

Highlight of the festival is the farewell gallop of Wind Blown prior to the running of the inaugural Wind Blown Classic where the finest chargers in the land, including those who have ran against the multi-millionaire horse, are competing.

A short but colorful ceremony has also been laid out for the racefest, an unprecedented event honoring a horse who had made a strong impact in the resurgence of local racing industry, which is also backed by the Philippine Racing Commission and Philippine Racing Club.

Star jockey Jeffril Zarate will guide the Hazm-Wind in My Hair progeny when he gallops around the track, while local rock star Rannie Raymundo will render the highly-charged, "Wind Blown" ditty he composed along with Macky Maceda and Noli Aurillo as an aperitif to a free rock concert to be held later in the day at the Santa Ana parking lot.

Winning poems in the "Likha Tula" contest will also be recited, while a photo exhibit depicting Wind Blown’s career is also scheduled. Esguerra added that Wind Blown caps and t-shirts will also be given to fans.

Wind Blown, dubbed "The King of Philippine Racing," tallied a remarkable 36 wins (24 stakes events) in 49 outings and retired as the richest local galloper of all time with P18,978.695.50 in earnings.

Esguerra announced Wind Blown’s retirement following the horse’s spectacular win in the 8th Marho Breeders’ Cup Classic last Nov. 23. The Nestor Manalang-trained galloper bred by Sandy Javier entered the history books by becoming the first horse to rule it for three consecutive years.

Prior to that, the two-time Horse of the Year awardee won in the Philtobo-Mitra Cup Classic and Saddle and Club Special where he made his comeback race following a six-month hiatus. — Ramon Romualdez