The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office kicks off the month’s big horseracing events with its PCSO National Grand Derby on Aug. 14, Sunday, at Metroturf.
The mile race is open exclusively to 2YO PCSO maiden race runners of 2015. Those nominated are Dance Again, Yong Yong, Yes Kitty, Guatemala, He He He, and Total Defiance.
The following Sunday, Aug. 21, will see the 8th edition of the Mayor Ramon Bagatsing Festival at San Lazaro Leisure Park, highlight by the Mayor Ramon Bagatsing Cup Divisions I and II, and the Philracom 5th leg Imported/Local Challenge race over 2,000 meters.
The Sunday after that, Aug. 28, the Philracom 1st leg Juvenile Fillies and Colts stakes will be held over 1,200 meters at Santa Ana Park.
We remind interested horseowners to be aware of the schedules for the nominations and declarations for these races, as well as for next month’s Japan Racing Association Cup and the Philracom Lakambini Stakes.
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As for the sport’s other racing festivals, Klub Don Juan de Manila is preparing as early as now for their KDJM Racing Festival, usually held in October, while the MARHO Cup Championships are traditionally held in November and Philtobo’s racing festival in December.
Such big events need a lot of lead time, although the staff of each of these horseowners’ groups are used to working under pressure. It’s difficult to prepare far in advance of the event date, because for some inexplicable reason, some sponsors only decide about their participation days before the race, leaving organizers scrambling frantically to include their logos on tarps and other advertising material.
Yes, I speak from experience. Organizing a racing festival is exhausting and nerve-wracking, but it’s all worth it to see the pomp and pageantry on event day, and the shining smiles all around.
I always want to decorate with balloons but only got to do so once, and not during a racing festival, but at Philtobo’s first awards night in 1998 (it wasn’t called Gintong Lahi yet then). Balloons are a no-no outdoors at a racing festival, because if they pop the sound might scare the horses, and the bobbing of the colored balloons might spook or distract them. Same goes for flash photography, anything that might make sudden loud noises, and blinking lights.
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