Smokin Saturday smokes hot

MANILA, Philippines — Smokin Saturday was smoking hot and furiously fast at the 2019 Philippine Racing Commission’s Grand Sprint Championship, pulling off a one-length win at the MetroTurf Racing Complex in Malvar, Batangas Sunday.

With Pat Dilema’s masterful riding, Smokin Saturday (sired by Any Given Saturday out of Smokin) crowned itself as the country’s best sprinter in the short 1,200-meter race following the five-year-old filly’s clocking of 1:10.4, with quartertimes of 22, 21 and 26.

Smokin Saturday burst out of the gates and immediately took command, with Son Also Rises behind by one and a half length and Lakan closely trailing at third spot. The filly increased its lead to three lengths halfway through, with Son Also Rises making a last-ditch effort in the last 500, but could only close in to within a length when the short race was over as Smokin Saturday firmly stood its ground all the way to the finish.

With the win, Smokin Saturday gave its owner Bobby Inigo the first-place paycheck of P600,000 from the total guaranteed purse of P1 million allotted by the sponsoring Philracom.

Son Also Rises took the runner-up prize of P225,000 for its owner by Benhur Abalos Jr. Its jockey JB Hernandez, earlier in the month, had swept both the Juvenile Colts and Fillies Stakes Races aboard Union Bell and Exponential, respectively.

Pinagtipunan, owned by Benhur Abalos III and ridden by jockey Kevin Abobo, settled for third place worth P125,000, while Lakan placed fourth, good for P50,000.

Other winners included Union Bell (Philtobo Juvenile), Nabighani (Pagcor), Wiling Willie (DLTB), Pretty Meador (Eduardo Duay Calixto), Redhead Dancer (Philtobo Juvenile), Du Pont Circle (Edong Diokno Trophy), Makaarem (Omniversal Assurance), Ack (SC Stockfarm Trophy), Rockstar Show  (Herma Farms and Stud), Certain to Win (Sevilla Industrial) and Kaka and Bachi (Rabano Construction).