MANILA Jockey Club Inc. (MJCI), the premier horseracing club in the country and one of Asia’s oldest, will be hosting the 9th Mayor Ramon Bagatsing Memorial Racing Festival on the first weekend of September at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite.
The two-day annual event brings together the fastest thoroughbreds in the country today, featuring stakes races from Philracom’s Division I to Division III, including special races from major corporate sponsorsand partners of the Bagatsing Family.
The Bagatsing Racing Festival is held in honor of the late Manila Mayor and former Congressman, Ramon D. Bagatsing Sr.
The memorial event aims to continue his legacy of supporting the horse racing industry and provide social and public welfare assistance through the Kabaka Foundation, mirroring two of his past office’s mandate the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and the Philippine Red Cross.
Already in its ninth installment, the racing festival brings more excitement and premium horse racing prizes across the weekend.
Sponsored cash prizes spread over the two-day event await the winners.
The cash prizes, along with the traditional gift prizes for the winning horse’s team, will be awarded beginning September 2, while the more luxurious prized races will be held the following day.
Major sponsors include the Philippine Racing Commission (PHILRACOM), Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), Resorts World Manila and Solaire Resort & Casino.
Among other race sponsors include Manila Jockey Club (MJC), City of Dreams, Tiger Resorts & Leisure, EEG Development Corporation, and Smart Communications.
A parallel gaming industry entity, the Manila Cockers Club (MCC), will sponsor one of the races in a show of support and unity with the horse racing industry.
The theme for this year’s Mayor Ramon Bagatsing Racing Festival is: “UNITY: Race as One” and will feature horses from all three Racing Clubs in a special feature race.
The Philippine Racing Commission has fully supported the rejuvenation of the industry and this year’s Bagatsing Racing Festival will serve as the springboard for more collaborated efforts to usher in a new era of milestones for the horse racing industry.
In nearly a decade of its continued existence, the Bagatsing Cup and the Mayor Ramon Bagatsing Racing Festival, have been established as some of MJC’s premier events in its racing calendar.
To this day, it continues to bring in a record number of viewers, participants and sales both on and off the race track.
Thus far, the record breaking sales of the Bagatsing Racing Festival is P43,281,228.00 garnered from the 2014 edition of the memorial racing event, the highest total gross sales in recent memory.
The festival is now likened to the Gran Copa de Manila of yesteryear. It is well well-matched that the revival of the Gran Copa de Manila was initiated by the late Mayor Ramon D. Bagatsing Sr. during the 70s at MJCI’s San Lazaro Hippodrome, now his legacy lives on with the Bagatsing Racing Festival at the San Lazaro Leisure Park.
The Manila Jockey Club was established in 1867 and is one of the oldest existing racing clubs in the Asia Pacific region. MJCI, as a business entity, was formally incorporated in1937.
MJCI operates the San Lazaro Leisure Park (SLLP) in Carmona, Cavite, featuring world class horseracing, gaming, and hospitality facilities. It is the first “racino” in Asia, combining a race track andcasino in one venue.