MANILA, Philippines - Hagdang Bato got back at rival Pugad Lawin in style, winning the 42nd PCSO Presidential Gold Cup by a mile at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite last Sunday.
The son of Quaker Ridge and Fire Down Under clocked two minutes, six seconds with splits of 25, 24-1/2, 26, 25, and 26 as he finished 12 lengths ahead of third choice Kaiserslautern in the 2,000-meter race.
Pugad Lawin, who pounced on Hagdang Bato’s poor start to win this race over the same track last year, struggled to finish third as he lost steam after chasing Hagdang Bato from start to the far turn.
“He’s so good, he’s in tip-top condition. I just let him run his pace,” said regular partner Jonathan Hernandez.
Last year, Hagdang Bato lost to Pugad Lawin after the champion horse’s assigned stall at Lane 4 malfunctioned at the last minute.
Owner Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur Abalos initiated a review of the video footages that established the stalled door swung back and hit Hagdang Bato in the face that caused the galloper to lose his balance and come out of the gate late.
Despite the impact, Hagdang Bato still managed to make it among the top five finishers in the race.
The win gave Hagdang Bato the top prize of P4 million, including a P1 million bonus from the Philippine Racing Commission. He also established himself as the winningest horse for the year with total earnings of P7.8 million.
In all, Hagdang Bato raised his total earnings to almost P30 million, the most by any local race horse.
Likewise, Hagdang Bato became only the fifth horse to win the event – first run in 1973 – twice, joining the likes of champion horses Fair And Square (1981-1982), Sun Dancer (1989-1990), Bulldozer (1996-1997), and Wind Blown (2000-2001).