Real Gold got back at its second-leg conqueror Boss Emong to win the third leg of the 2019 Philippine Racing Commission’s Triple Crown series in a thrilling night race before en enthusiastic Sunday crowd at the MetroTurf Racing Complex in Malvar, Batangas.
The C and H Enterprise-owned Real Gold won the Triple Crown’s first leg with a scintillating eight-length win at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite in May, before losing by a heartbreaker in the second stage last month, yielding the race by half a length to darkhorse Boss Emong at the Saddle and Clubs Leisure Park in Naic, Cavite.
This time around, Real Gold was not to be denied.
With the expert riding of jockey John Paul A. Guce, Real Gold seized the lead in the final 400 and stayed up front until the finish for a many-length triumph over rival Boss Emong in the race ran in 2,000 meters.
“Hindi nagbago ang game-plan, talagang remate po kami. May mga matutulin na kalaban, kaya kailangan strong finish kami,” said Real Gold jockey John Paul A. Guce. “Pagpasok ng last 400 ko nakuha. Medyo bumitin after that, kaya naglipat ako ng latigo, umiktad po ulet. Talagang sumasagot siya kapag pinu-push mo.”
Boss Emong grabbed the early lead, followed by My Jopay as the two set the pace three fourths of the way. Racing on the outside, Real Gold made its move in the final 600 meters before finally snatching the lead in the last 400 and unleashing a final burst of speed going home to get back at its rival which denied it of what could have been the second jewel of its Triple Crown hopes.
The win was worth another P1.8 million for owner C and H Enterprise of Butch and Alex Mamon, Jing Javier, Joseph Dyhengco and Robert Ramirez. Together with its first-leg win and second-place finish in the second stage, Real Gold netted a total of P4,275,000.00 in the series, nearly half of the P9 million allotted by the sponsoring Philracom for the 2019 Triple Crown Series.
“We are very happy with the result. Two out of three ain’t so bad,” said Butch Mamon, one of the owners of Real Gold, whose winning breeder Dyhengco was also rewarded with P100,000.
Boss Emong, ridden by Dan Camanero, settled for the runner-up purse of P675,000 for owner Edward Vincent Diokno.
Shanghai Grey (jockey JB Hernandez, owner Melanie Habla) settled for third spot worth P375,000.
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.
In the accompanying third leg of the Philracom 209 Hopeful Stakes Race, The Accountant (owner Luis Aguila, jockey Pat R Dilema) edged My Shelltex and Two Timer for the top purse of P600,000 from the total pot of P1 million.
My Shelltex (owner Antonio Tan, jockey JB Guce) settled for the runner-up prize of P225,000, while Two Timer (owner Melanie Habla, jockey JA Guce) captured P125,000 as third-placer.
Other winners Sunday were Daginding (Race 1), Helushka (Race 2), Victorious Colt (Race 3), Count Me In (Race 4), Plus (Race 6), Derham Park (Race 8), Bitcoin (Race 9), Salaminsk (Race 10), Dragon Fire (Race 11) and Milford Sound (Race 12).
The Philracom’s next big event happens on August 4 featuring its Lakambini Stakes Race.
