NAIC, Cavite, Philippines – Outstanding favorite Yes Pogi did not disappoint, winning the 16th Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Silver Cup pulling away over five others yesterday at the Santa Ana Park in Naic, Cavite.
Expertly handled by veteran Manolito Daquis, Yes Pogi grabbed the lead from fast-starting Thotis Best with about 800 meters to go and finished some nine lengths in front of runner-up Righthererightnow in the lung-busting 2000-meter race.
The reigning horse of the year clocked a respectable 2 minutes and 04.4 seconds in clinching his second big triumph in the season. Last March, Yes Pogi won the equally rich Philracom Commissioner’s Cup also under Daquis.
A son of Rum Tum Tiger and Belle Epoque, Yes Pogi rewarded owner Francis Lim the top prize of P1.1 million as he continued to show the brilliant form that netted him a number of stakes races last year, including the first two legs of the Triple Crown and the 38th Presidential Gold Cup.
Righthererightnow rallied from last place under Jonathan Hernandez to salvage second place worth P350,000 while Darleb, ridden by Jeff Zarate, came in third to clinch P175,000.
Thotis Best (CB Tamano) finished fourth, Shining Armour (Pattie Dilema) landed fifth and Go Army (Fernando Raquel) came in sixth and last in the race won last year in the same astonishing fashion by Ibarra.
Right from the beginning, Yes Pogi was in the thick of the fight. He was a close second to Thotis Best as the field turned for the backstretch, something that was really surprising for one who is a noted stayer.
Leaving the far turn, Yes Pogi overtook the fast-fading Thotis Best and quickly built a huge lead on his way to that resounding triumph.