H Bato warms up for Gold Cup, rules Marho race

MANILA, Philippines - Triple Crown champion Hagdang Bato overpowered four others to capture the SMB 3-Year-Old Colt Mile of the MARHO racing festival on Sunday and show his readiness for the final, most prestigious event of the season about to end.

Ably handled by veteran Jonathan Hernandez who escaped injuries in a two-horse spill in an earlier race, Hagdang Bato led from the start  and charged home unchallenged  in the one-mile race, one of  six rich events that highlighted the 17th edition of the racefest at the Santa Ana Park in Naic, Cavite.

The handsome son of Yonaguska out of Fire Down Under clocked 1 minute and 43.6 seconds over a hard track, finishing three lengths clear of runnerup Penrith and 10 over Golden Empire in the 1600-meter event serving as his tuneup for the much-awaited Presidential Gold Cup on Dec. 9 at the same track.

Hagdang Bato clinched his seventh stakes victory since January in an incredible campaign that saw him become the first horse in 11 years – and only the ninth since 1978 – to capture local horseracing’s version of the Triple Crown series.

The prized galloper of Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur Abalos won P500,000, boosting his total earnings as a three-year-old to almost P11 million and easily emerging as the highest earner among the present breed of stakes campaigners.

The other highlight races saw longshot Gastambide (John Paul Guce) rule the Classic; Fierce and Fiery (Dan Camanero) top the Sprint; Sea Princess (Patti Dilema) capture the 3YO Filly Mile; Spinning Ridge (Val Dilema) win the Juvenile Colts and Five Star (Jessie Guce) strike in the Juvenile Fillies.

Breaking off beautifully at the sixth stall, Hagdang Bato took the lead from the start and rolled on with tight reins from Hernandez, who was unseated on top of horse Pudolski as they bumped into the Jeff Zarate-ridden Trip to Heaven in a regular race earlier in the  afternoon.

  Hernandez and Hagdang Bato let Penrith and Golden Empire come near approaching the far turn after taking a three-length lead at the mid-backstretch, only to leave them behind again as they entered the final straight.