Filipino 3-time champ, Indon team up for world slasher

MANILA, Philippines - Rey Briones teams up with Indonesian cocker Soan Soegianto as the three-time Filipino champion goes for an unprecedented fourth title against a slew of equally tough rivals in the 2013 World Slasher Cup Eight-Cock International Derby slated Jan. 21-27 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Almost 350 entries are fighting it out in the prestigious event hosted by the Pintakasi of Champions and co-presented by Thunderbird, Romoxtyl, B-Meg, Sagupaan and Supremo.

A growing number of entries from here and abroad prompted the organizers to hold the event for seven full days, introducing this year a three-day elimination format.

Three separate two-cock eliminations are set tomorrow (first 100 entries), Tuesday (second 100 entries) and Wednesday (the remaining entries).

The two-cock semis are on Thursday and Friday while the four-cock championship is Saturday.

Briones guns for another crown with his Spartans Gamefarm after sharing top honors with Laurence Wacnang and Ronnie Cosalan with their Crowsland Silver Wings last year.

Among those tipped to give Briones a tough fight are Sonny Lagon, Californians Marty and Moe Toralba and Jeff Quaine, Alabamans Kiana Borovies and Jimbo Cox and the Hawaiian team led by Howard Inafuko.

Other highly touted foreign participants are Ray Alexander (Alabama), Mike Formosa (Hawaii), Bruce Brown (California), Jeff Hudspeth (North Carolina), Wilbert LeBlanc (Louisiana), Richard Harris (Louisiana), Peter Elm (Guam), Jerald Inman (New York), Clarence Perkins (Oklahoma), Jason Campbell (Tennessee) and Richard McCormick (Canada).

Fil-foreign bets include Jorge Torres, Goy Goitia, Jun Bacolod, Sedfrey Linsangan, Zaldy Sandoval, Vic Diez, John Montenegro, Butch Cambria, Gil Canlas, Leonard Raymond Reyes III, Rodelio Coastales, Mark Salazar, Manny Jidaria and Joey Melendres.

For tickets, call up Ticketnet at 911-5555.