The Manila Jockey Club, Inc., the premier horse racing club in the country and one of Asia’s oldest will be hosting the 47th PCSO Presidential Gold Cup on December 22.
A Memorandum of Agreement Signing Ceremony was held at Manila Golf and Country Club to formalize the holding of the event, and finalize the commitments of each party.
In attendance were top officials from MJC, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and the Philippine Racing Commission.
“The Gold Cup is indeed a prestigious race. This annual tradition, which brings together the PCSO, Philracom, private racing clubs and the local racing community, has to be maintained. I am confident that despite the challenges we are presently facing, we will come out stronger and more creative in fulfilling our mandate to the people and continue our support to the racing industry,” said Col. Royina Marzan Garma, PCSO General Manager.
Since its establishment in 1934, the PCSO has been a strong supporter of the local horse racing industry. Apart from the Gold Cup, it also sponsors year-round horse races that contributes to the upliftment and advancement of the sport.
Andrew Sanchez, Chairman of the Philracom, has expressed his commitment to support the endeavors of PCSO especially those geared towards the development of the industry.
For his part, Atty. Alfonso G. Reyno III, President and CEO of MJC said: “MJC is very proud and honored to host the Presidential Gold Cup at San Lazaro. As representatives of the private sector, we assure the PCSO and Philracom that we will do our share to encourage growth and further the development of Philippine horse racing. We join the Bayang Karerista in applauding the PCSO for their continued support to the industry.”
Locally-bred runners will compete for the P5,000,000 distributed purse for the 1st to 4th placers, including a cash incentive to the winning breeder. The champion horse and its team will bag the P3 million grand prize, plus a P1 million bonus prize pledged by the Philracom and a P200,000 cash incentive to the winning breeder. The runner-up will take home P1 million while the third and fourth placers will get P500,000 and P300,000, respectively.
Declared runners include: Supersonic/JB Guce by Leonardo Javier, Jr.; Summer Romance/JG Serrano by Narciso Morales; Hiway One/PM Cabalejo by Cool Summer Farm; Sepfourteen/JA Guce by SC Stockfarm Inc.; Pangalusian Island/Dan Camanero by Wilbert Tan; Greatwall/Pat Dilema by Robert Ramirez; Scarborough Shoal/CP Henson by Francisco Paolo Crisostomo; and Princess Eowyn/JB Hernandez by Edward Vincent Diokno.
The Presidential Gold Cup was conceived by the PCSO board headed by the late Chairman and General Manager, Nereo C. Andong. It instantly became a popular event among the racing community with Sun God owned by Don Pedro Cojuangco winning the inaugural race in 1973.