JRA, PSA Cups go to longshots

Material Maker pulled off a virtual miracle win in the Japan Racing Association Cup yesterday, beating a highly-fancied field that included veteran stakes race campaigners Free Wind and Golden Ballet before a stunned Sunday crowd at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite.

A fourth choice in a lean field of six, Material Maker, a noted speedster handled by Pat Dilema, found the going a lot easier when Jeffril Zarate, aboard speedball Free Wind, decided not to contest the lead, giving the eventual winner the chance to stay afloat and run in her own pace throughout the one-mile race.

Winner of the Marho Cup race last week as a favorite, the four-year-old bay horse by Strong Material out of Rhummaker crossed the wire in 1:41, two lengths ahead of Free Wind and bagged the top P120,000 purse for the Dos Ranchos Jofero stable. She had quartertimes of 24’-24’-25-27.

Free Wind never got the chance to stage whatever rally he might have had hoped for and settled for the P45,000 second prize while High Octane snatched third place worth P25,000.

Golden Ballet, who finished second to champion horse Wind Blown last week, finished a disappointing fifth behind Catwalk Pia.

Longshot Royal Catch caught her rivals napping and scored a stunning wire-to-wire victory in the PSA (Philippine Sportswriters’ Association) Cup, beating the likes of Dandansoy, Staunch Ally and Windlass and bagging the top purse of P240,000 for owner Hermie Esguerra.

Royal Catch drew only a little less than P90,000 bets for fifth in a field of six but raced to an early lead in the absence of a pursuer as the rest opted to conserve their energy in the one-mile race to no avail.

Heavy favorite Buena Sera, on the other hand, scored an expected victory in the Philippine-Japan Friendship Cup, dominating coupled entries Gemstone and Gutmoore and winning the P120,000 purse for owner R.S. Ramirez. — Ramon Romualdez