MANILA, Philippines – Unbeaten Magna Carta takes on a crack field that includes the country’s top chargers, hoping to stretch his win run to five in the P2 million Chairman’s Cup firing off today at the San Lazaro Leisure and Business Park in Carmona, Cavite.
Coming off a 10-length win in last month’s PCSO Freedom Cup over the same track, Magna Carta looms as the top favorite in the event set over 1,500 meters which offers a top purse of P1.2 million.
Co-presented by the Philracom and the Manila Jockey Club, Inc. (MJCI), this year’s running of the Chairman’s Cup is held in honor of the late former Philracom chairman Nicanor “Nicky” Jacinto III and serves as the grand finale of the six-day racefest celebrating the 37th founding anniversary of the Philippine Racing Commission.
“Manila Jockey Club would like to congratulate the Philracom on its 37th anniversary. It is with great pride that we are hosting the Philracom Racing Festival at San Lazaro, and we are truly grateful for the support and genuine effort of the commission in advancing Philippine horse racing,” said MJCI chairman Atty. Alfonso “Boy” Reyno, Jr.
Out to foil the Michael Dragon Javier-owned and Raymundo Henson-trained Magna Carta are 13 other tough three-year-olds, including Arvindugo, Barkley, Bosbarawana, Boss Gee, couple-entries’ Cheese Mosa and Prince Isiah, Chief Joesan, Hi Money, King Theodore, Platinum Lance, Pritil, The Rock, and Sulong Pinoy.
Others in the fold are SC Stockfarm’s Bosbarawana, Hermie Esguerra’s Pritil, Mayor Benhur Abalos’ Barkley and Tony de Ubago’s Chief Joesan, veteran stakes campaigners who have competed at the highest level as two-year-olds.
Bosbarawana is already the winner of two restricted stakes races this year, having won the Philracom Garnet III and Amethyst III Stakes Races, and has been unbeaten in 3 starts since January. Pritil and Barkley were runner-ups to Bosbarawana in the Garnet III and are both raring to come up with rebound performances. 2010 Juvenile Championship Race winner Chief Joesan is also on a comeback trail and hopes to improve from his second place effort to Barkley in a recent 3YO Condition race over a sprint distance.
Winner of the “Chairman’s Cup” is guaranteed to receive Php1.2 million in top money, while the three other placers will receive Php450,000; Php250,000 and Php100,000, in that order. The breeder of the winning horse also gets a bonus prize of Php70,000
San Lazaro Broadcasting Network (SLBN) will be airing all the races at the SLLBP live on Sky Cable’s channel 113, and Destiny Cable’s channel 83.