CONGRATULATIONS to Los Angeles-based Filipino jockey Ramon “Monching” B. Guce for posting his 1,000th North American career win!
He reached this personal milestone last Valentine’s Day at Los Alamitos after winning on 4YO California-bred filly A B C Me Awesome.
Monching reckons he racked up 2,500 wins in Manila before migrating in the late ‘90s to ride Thoroughbreds and quarter horses at Los Alamitos, Hollywood Park, and Santa Anita Park.
Once known as “RB Guce” on the local programa, in the US he’s called “Ramon,” and his tagline there is: “The Guce is Loose!” with his surnamed pronounced as one word, like the fowl, rather than with two syllables like it is here.
On the Los Alamitos’ website, he says his Philippine experience prepared him well:
“In the Philippines, the shortest racing distance is 4-1/2 furlongs and those races are carded maybe 10 times the entire year. Instead, most races are between 7-1/2 furlongs and one mile, so I think that’s benefited me from an endurance standpoint when riding in the 4-1/2 furlong races at Los Alamitos.” (A furlong is roughly translated as 200 meters.)
Monching, leading rider for 2014 in Los Alamitos, is a scion of the Guce racing dynasty. He is the son of the late jockey and trainer Pablito Guce, brother of riders Lyndon Noel (now a Philracom commissioner) and Canada-based Angelito, cousin of legendary jockey Jesus “El Maestro” C. Guce, and the uncle of the young band of Guce brothers — journeymen John Paul, John Alvin, and John Anthony and trainees Peter John and John Jr.
About the same time Monching marked his 1,000th US win, veteran rider and sometime actor Gary Steven (who played jockey George Woolf in the film Seabiscuit) posted his 5,000th win at Santa Anita Park.
Jockeys and other racing folk who mark such milestones abroad are feted. Sadly, we don’t commemorate occasions such as this. Statistics aren’t well kept and we have no similar rituals.
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Update on the Philracom Colts race: The Philippine Racing Commission will hold a second meeting today with the Manila Jockey Club Board of Stewards (BoS) to look into the latter’s decision in the Philracom 3YO Colts stakes race.
The five members of the MJC BoS as of February are Rafael de las Cagigas (as chairman), Jesus Villanueva, Francisco Fernando, Rene Sare, and Daniel Valmonte.
On Feb. 22 at San Lazaro Leisure Park, the MJC BoS disqualified the first placer Money Talks in favor of Juachenzo’s Run, saying the former had swerved-in into the latter’s path at the jump-out, this “interference” marring his chances for victory, a decision hit by many racing fans.
Philracom will also be looking today into the case of jockey Dar E. Deocampo, who was suspended for one year likewise by the MJC BoS but by the prior slate of stewards on Jan. 16 for “deliberately losing the race” on Candy Crush.
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The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office will hold a trial race on Mar. 6 for its 3YO Open at Santa Ana Park, with the actual race on Mar. 21.
To run over a mile are Gentle Strength, Sigma’s Treasure, Winning Move, Air Supply, Erik the Viking, Incredible Hook, Prince Jed, Legionnaire, Dominatore, Stargazer, and Make Him Known.
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