Charity races up at Sta. Ana

Local horse racing makes a pitch for charity as the Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom) and the Philippine Racing Club, Inc. (PRCI) join hands with the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) for the running of the UP-PGH Charity Race today at the Santa Ana Park.

The featured event is being staged to raise funds in support of the UP-PGH indigent and charity patients ward, one of the largest and busiest public hospitals in the country.

Carrying a guaranteed prize money of P300,000 and sponsored by the Philracom, the UP-PGH Charity Race features 12 seasoned gallopers battling over a distance of 1,600 meters.

The official entries are Dynamic Jason, Money for Shelltex, Gelay’s Charm, Do It David, Silver Cho Cho, Big Little Missy, Morning Nell, Class Action, Federal Court, Andrea’s Pet, Sakuha Ijhay and Tanging Ikaw, all racing under the Class 4 division 7B handicap group.

Race handicappers label the race as a “wide open contest” with no particular entry enjoying a distinct advantage over the others, although the race distance would tend to favor known closers or horses with big finishing kicks.

Doctors from the UP-PGH and volunteers from PRCI held a free medical mission yesterday at Santa Ana Park for the residents of Barangay Carmona, whose chairman Pablito Guce, is also a former jockey and current president of the Philippine Race Horse Trainers Association.