Triple Crown’s first leg on at Carmona

Noted sprinter Speed O’War and proven stretch runner Cover Girl head nine other classy three-year-olds vying for a shot at racing immortality as they lead the chase for the coveted "Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. Cup," first leg of the 2004 Triple Crown Championship, set today at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite.

Now on its 27th running, the "Cojuangco Cup" honors industrialist-horseman Eduardo "Danding" Cojuangco Jr., pioneer chairman of the Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom), who laid the groundwork for the staging of the three-race championship series for locally-bred three-year-olds.

In support of the featured P1.67-million event, three other Cup races have also been scheduled for today’s daylong card, including the "Philracom Cojuangco Cup Hopeful Stakes," the "Canyon Ranch Cup" and the "Century Communities Cup."

The Hopeful Stakes carries a total guaranteed pot of P500,000. The two other supporting races carry a guaranteed winner’s purse of P200,000 each.

Speed O’War and Cover Girl, impressive winners of the first and second leg of the Philracom "Road to the Triple Crown" Stakes Series are expected to battle for top billing in the 1,600-meter championship showdown, considered as the breeding ground of local track champions. Challenging them for the premier spot are division standouts Don Paolo, Moab, Batangas Force, Air Force One, Gorgeous Sand, Vindicated, Shadowfox, Modern Spirit and Cat’s Jewel. - Ramon Romualdez