The Philippine Racing Commission ends the year with a bang with the staging of the 2018 Juvenile Championships on Dec. 31 at the Saddle and Clubs Leisure Park in Naic, Cavite.
Twelve of the countries best two-year-old horses, led by Obra Maestra and Forest Cover, will be fighting for bragging rights in the P2.5-million stakes races offering a whopping P1.5 million to the winning horse.
Runner-up pockets P562,500, while the third and fourth placers get P312,500 and P125,000, respectively, with the winning horse’s breeder taking P75,000.
Obra Maestra was a dominant force this year in the P2-million 2018 Philracom Juvenile Fillies Stakes only last month as she continued to reign as one of the youngsters to watch out for. The Sandy Javier-owned Obra Maestra, ridden by jockey JB Guce, made their move in the last 100 meters to win the P1,200,000 purse in the fillies stakes race.
Meanwhile, Forest Cover had his most memorable campaign in the 2nd leg of the Philracom Juvenile Colts Stakes Race at the Saddle and Leisure Park in Naic, Cavite last October. The Aristeo G. Puyat-owned filly engaged Mona’s Mark and Electrify in a neck-to-neck battle down to the finish, before winning by a head in the 1,300-meter race, with Jockey O’Neal P. Cortez in the reins.
Standing in the way of Obra Maestra and Forest Cover are 10 other fast-rising juveniles fighting over the distance of 1,600 meters.
They are Full of Grace (jockey MA Alvarez, owner Alfredo R. Santos); Gatighan Island-(JP A Guce, Wilbert T.Tan); Lady Mischief (KB Abobo, SC Stockfarm); Mona’s Mark (DH Borbe Jr., Raymund B. Puyat), Mood Swing (JA Guce, SC Stockfarm); My Jopay (CP Henson, Moises B. Villasenor), Oktubre Katorse (VM Camanero Jr., Bonapart P. Atianzar); Royal Bell (JB Hernandez, Bell Racing Stable); Serafina (MB Pilapil, Peter I. Aguila; and Toy For the Bigboy (JB Cordova, Alfredo R. Santos).
“Twelve of the country’s best 2YOs will be on spotlight, but only one will be crowned the year’s best juvenile,” said Philracom Chairman Andrew A. Sanchez. “What a way to end the year.”
Philracom races are being conducted in accordance with the Philracom’s Rating-Based Handicapping System, which is a result of the commission’s affiliation with the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, whose mission is to promote good regulation and best practices on international matters pertaining to the sport.
As a member of IFHA, Philracom is ready to embrace the world standards set by the international body, such as the rating-based handicapping system, equine drug-testing and transfer of technology, thereby making sure that horseracing in the Philippines is held at the highest level.