STA. Clara Stockfarm’s colt Sepfourteen kept their hope of Triple Crown glory alive by winning the second leg of the Philippine Racing Commission’s iconic series for elite 3YO at Santa Ana Park last June 18.
Ridden by John Alvin Guce, the colt stopped the clock at 1:54.6 (14’-25-24-23’-27’). Its stablemate, the talented filly Brilliance, bagged second place honors, followed by Hiway One and Pangalusian Island in third and fourth places respectively.
The second leg of the Hopeful Stakes, the auxiliary to the Triple Crown, saw Roberto Iñigo’s Smokin’ Saturday exert dominance over placers Great Wall, Mount Pulag, and Bossa Nova, in that order. The winner, guided by Jonathan Hernandez, hit the finish line at 1:55 (13’-25-25-24’-27).
The honors in the 3YO Locally-Bred Stakes race went to lawyer Benhur Abalos’s Cerveza Rosas, another Hernandez-guided mount. Coming in behind the filly were Batang Poblacion, Alfie, and Caloocan Zap, from second to fourth. Cerveza Rosas posted a leisurely 1:55.8 (14-24-24’-25’-27’) for the outing.
All three races were sponsored by Philracom and run over 1,800 meters on a good track.
Santa Ana Park will also host the third legs of these three series, as well as many Philracom stakes races in the coming months, including the highly important Ambassador Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr. Cup.
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Not to discount Sepfourteen’s performance, but I really think Brilliance should have won the race.
The filly, who won the first leg of the Hopeful Stakes last month, led the entire way with Sepfourteen running off the pace. Despite the challenge thrown by Golden Kingdom in the backstretch, the coupled entries remained unfazed and held on to their positions.
However, they both raced wide at the home turn, allowing opponents to sneak up on the rail. Still, they ran neck-and-neck to the wire, with Brilliance losing by a nostril, or so it looked. Neither did I see Kelvin Abobo, aboard Brilliance, take out his whip nor do any serious urging, whereas Guce had his whip out and was showing it to his mount.
I could be wrong, though. You can watch the race on Facebook at “Prci Santa Ana Park;” just scroll down till you find the video.
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