Union Bell cemented its status as one of the fastest-rising young horses on the local racing scene following another masterful win in the 2nd leg of the 2019 Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom) Juvenile Fillies and Colts Stakes Race at the Metro Manila Turf Club in Malvar, Batangas on Sunday.
With multi-titled jockey JB Hernandez on its mount, Union Bell was all business from the get go as the star horse of the Bell Racing Stable blazed its way to a four-length win in the 1,400-meter contest with a winning clocking of 1:23.8 and quarter-times of 13, 22, 22, 26.
Union Bell (sire Union Rags, USA; dam Tocqueville, ARG) burst out of the gates with the lead and was momentarily challenged by Exponential, with Four Strong Wind in tow. But the two-year-old colt kept command of the race as it slowly pulled away in the final straight for the empathic win.
“‘Yung alis ko, hindi naman masyado mabilis, dapat nga isusunod ko lang, naka-segundo puwesto. Kaso pagdating sa tres kuatros noong nahawakan ko na, medyo inaaway na ako, kaya binigay ko na,” said Hernandez.
“Hinintay ko na lang ang rekta, kasi alam ko naman na lamang ang kabayo ko,” Hernandez added.
The win was worth another cool P600,000 for owner Elmer de Leon, whose family was in full force during the awards rites attended by Philracom Commissioner Bienvenido Niles Jr. and Metro Turf racing manager Rudy Prado and his deputy Arthur Escala.
Runner-up Four Strong Wind pocketed P225,000, while third-placer Exponential received P125,000 in the stakes race featuring the Philippines’ top two-year-old horses and offering a total of P1,040,000 in prizes from the sponsoring Philracom.
It was a fitting follow-up win for Union Bell, which also ruled the 1st leg of the Juvenile Stakes Race early October as its back-to-back triumph set the stage for a three-race sweep of the series, which concludes on Dec. 1.
“Pipilitin namin na kunin,” said Hernandez, who has never lost a race with Union Bell so far.
Other Sunday winners were Sheer (Race 1), Miss Campbell (Race 2), Gee’s Song (Race 3), Chancetheracer (Race 4), Old Timer (Race 6), Jawo (Race 7), Boss Emong (Race 8), Sari Baby (Race 9), Matriarchal (Race 10), Summer Romance (Race 11) and Havana Ohhnana (Race 12).
More big stakes races are still in the offing from Philracom in the coming months—such as the Ambassador Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr. Cup on Nov. 17 and the 2nd leg of the 3YO Imported/Local Challenge on Nov. 24.
December proves to be the busiest horseracing month for big races with the Philracom’s holding of the 3rd leg of the Juvenile Fillies and Colts Stakes Races on the 1st, the Grand Sprint Championship on the 15th, the Chairman’s Cup and the 3rd leg of the 3YO Imported/Local Challenge Series on the 29th and the Juvenile Championship on the 31st.