THE Metropolitan Association of Race Horse Owners once again staged a successful racing event last Nov. 20 at Santa Ana Park, an occasion graced by officials and members of the group as well as other racing industry personalities.
Benjamin Abalos III’s Kanlaon bested other elite horses to win the 2,000-meter Marho Cup-San Miguel Corporation Classic, with Hot and Spicy coming second and Gentle Strength third.
Stony Road Horse Farm’s Underwood dominated the Marho Cup-Santa Ana Park 3YO Colt Mile, while Son Also Rises and Pinagtipunan placed in that order.
George Raquidan’s Real Flames triumphed in the Marho Cup-Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office 3YO Filly Mile, followed by Leave It to Me and Since When.
Lawyer Narciso Morales’s Stravinsky copped the 1,300-meter Marho Cup-Philippine Racing Commission Juvenile Colts, trailed by Changes and Batang La Paz.
Philippine Racing Club, Inc. Chairman Emeritus Santiago Cua and Marho director Nathaniel G. Velasco received plaques of appreciation for their staunch support of Marho’s flagship racing event through the years.
Other race sponsors were Velasco’s Transprint Corporation, Tony Tan’s Uratex Foam and Shelltex Bed, and Bernard Bernabe’s Siomai House.
Among the Marho directors in attendance were Antonio G. de Ubago, president; and Antonio V. Tan, former Tarlac congressman Jeci A. Lapus, Vicente P. Go Bon, Quezon City Councilor Victor V. Ferrer, and Kalookan City Vice Mayor Macario E. Asistio III.
Marho was grateful for the presence of Philracom Chairman Andrew A. Sanchez and commissioners Bienvenido C. Niles Jr., lawyer Wilfredo Jefferson A. de Ungria, lawyer Victor V. Tantoco, and Lyndon Noel B. Guce.
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A chartered British Aerospace 146 short-haul plane carrying 81 people, including the Brazilian first division football team, crashed on its way from Brazil to Colombia last Nov. 28.
The plane, operated by Bolivian charter airline Lamia, had nine crew members and 72 passengers on board, among whom were members of the first division football team from the small city of Chapeco in Southern Brazil.
According to the Los Angeles Times, “the team was scheduled to play Wednesday in the first of a two-game Copa Sudamericana final against Atletico Nacional of Medellin.” The Chapecoenses “joined Brazil’s first division in 2014 for the first time since the 1970s and made it to the Copa Sudamericana finals last week by defeating Argentina’s legendary San Lorenzo squad.”
Shades of the Chicago Cubs finally making it to the Series, underdogs with nowhere to go but up finally making it to the big time, but the story sadly finishes with a tragic ending.
As of presstime, there were said to be six survivors of the crash, which might have been caused by an electrical failure. The LA Times also reported that according to local radio, the same plan carried Argentina’s national squad to Brazil for a game earlier this month.
Because of the crash, the Confederacion Sudamericana de Futbol (South American football federation) has canceled all its activities until further notice.
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Dr. Ortuoste is a California-based writer. Facebook: Gogirl Racing and Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @gogirlracing and @jennyortuoste, and Instagram: @jensdecember.