Philracom accepted as member of int’l horseracing federation

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Racing Commission recently achieved a milestone after being formally accepted as a member of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), whose mission is to promote good regulation and best practices on international matters pertaining to the sport.

Members of the Philracom board, led by chairman Andrew Sanchez, commissioner Bienvenido Niles Jr. and executive director Andrew Buencamino, hailed the commission’s formal entry to the IFHA.

Philracom commissioner Rep. Niles recently represented the Philracom in the 50th International Conference of Horseracing Authorities in Paris, where he formally accepted the commission’s inclusion in the 60-nation IFHA.

“We were officially accepted in their executive council meeting in April of this year, and we had to present to them during this Paris conference facts about the Philracom, how we run our races here, and they were quite impressed,” said Niles.

Commissioner Niles said Philracom’s entry into the IFHA membership “will make sure that horseracing in the Philippines is held at the highest level.”

“Race owners are very excited because they know this will open new avenues for them. At the same time, this will ensure that Philippine racing will move towards globalization,” explained Niles, adding the Philippines’ top horses can compete in future races abroad and vice versa.

One way to do this is through IFHA’s help in the Philracom’s handicapping (rating) and cataloguing system.

“We have to be aligned with the drug-free environment that they are trying to promote across all of the members of the IFHA. We also have to align with their handicapping system. We will need to get guidance from them in terms of how our horses can be rated, aligned with the norms and standard of international racing,” Niles said.