GOLDEN Kingdom looms as the early favorite in the 1st leg of the Philippine Racing Commission-backed Triple Crown series on Sunday at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite.
The colt owned by Lamberto Almeda Jr. leads the 11-horse cast in the first leg of the most prestigious racing extravaganza for three-year-old horses.
“Tingin ko, early favorite dito ang Golden Kingdom, dahil undefeated, nanalo sa Sweepstake race at nakapanalo ng tatlong beses pa, sunod sunod na walang talo,” said Philracom Commissioner Bienvenido Niles Jr., who however added that it’s still anybody’s race on Sunday. “Siya (Golden Kingdom) ang liyamado, pero maraming magiging kalaban, tulad nila Manda ni Mayor (Benhur) Abalos at Sepfourteen ng SC Stockfarm.”
Standing in the way of the favorites are Batang Poblacion of Ferdinand Eusebio, Biglang Buhos of Stony Road Horse Farm, Breaking News of Aristeo Puyat, Doshermanos Island (filly) and Pangalusian Island of Wilbert Tan, Hiway One of Joseph Dyhengco, Metamorphosis of Herminio Esguerra and Smokin Saturday of Roberto Inigo.
Some P3 million in prizes will be at stake in the race over a distance of 1,600 meters, with P1.8 million going to the champion horse and P675,000 allocated for the runner-up. Third and fourth placers get P375,000 and P150,000, respectively.
Two other Philracom races will be run on Sunday—the Philracom Hopeful Stakes Race offering P1 million in total prizes and the Philracom 3YO Locally Bred Stakes Race, with P500,000 at stake.
April’s Song, Brilliance, Caloocan Zap, Flawless Diamond, Flintridge, Gintong Lawin, Greatwall, Lemonada, Mount Pulag, Rochelle, Temecula and Time on Target will be dueling in the Hopeful Stakes Race, while Caloocan Zap, Cerveza Rosas, Creme Brule, Flawless Diamond, Gintong Lawin, Himig, Indian Warrior, Kingship, Magic Carpet Ride, Mr. Bourbon, Pagkakataon, Power Hook, Puerto Princesa, Selfie, Sikat and Time on Target comprise the 3YO Locally Bred Stakes.
The three races are part of the Manila Jockey Club Inc.’s eight-race racing extravaganza offering a record total of P14.5-million in prizes, led by the Founder’s Cup’s P6-million purse, also a record.
The Triple Crown series was launched in 1978, with Native Gift winning the first two legs and Majority Rule denying him the sweep. There have been only ten Triple Crown champions since then: Fair and Square in 1981, Skywalker (1983), Time Master (1987), Magic Showtime (1988), Sun Dancer (1989), Strong Material (1996), Real Top (1998), Silver Story (2001), Hagdang Bato (2012), and Kid Molave (2014).
Different winners ruled last year’s Triple Crown, with the first leg being won by longshot Radio Active, which beat early favorite Dewey Boulevard for the honor.
In the second leg, Dewey Boulevard returned the favor by beating the first-leg winner in a duel from start to finish, setting up a battle royale in the third leg. But another longshot in Underwood crashed the party and dashed past Dewey Boulevard down the stretch to win the third leg by three lengths.
The last time one horse won it all in one year was in 2014 when Emmanuel Santos’s colt Kid Molave (Into Mischief x Unsaid) scored the rare 3-peat, earning a P500,000 bonus from Philracom for the rare feat.
The three-leg series is patterned after the United States’ Triple Crown, with its three legs comprised of the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes, also with progressively longer distances.