Bugle Notes pulls noteworthy triumph

MANILA, Philippines — Bugle Notes unleashed an impressive burst of speed going home to stun an elite field that included a two-time defending champion and a Triple Crown winner, winning the rich 2019 Ambassador Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr. Cup Sunday at the Saddle & Clubs Leisure Park Racetrack in Naic, Cavite.

With jockey Jonathan Hernandez on its mount, Bugle Notes made its move at the halfway mark after running third in the pack as it grabbed the lead from Viva Morena and never let go, increasing it further down the stretch to claim a six-length win in the prestigious race held in honor of the SMC chairman, a stalwart in the horseracing industry. 

The racing weekend was also highlighted by the 24th staging of the Metropolitan Association of Race Horse Owners (MARHO) Breeder’s Championships.

Bugle Notes finished with a fast time of 2:00.4 in the long 2,000-meter race.

The victory, worth a whopping P1.8 million from the total guaranteed purse of P3.15 million by the sponsoring Philippine Racing Commission, ended the two-year reign of SC Stockfarm’s Hitting Spree and added fuel to the hot streak of the Bell Racing Stable, with owner Elmer de Leon personally receiving the special trophy donated by Cojuangco himself. 

De Leon also owns Union Bell, a two-time winner in the 2019 Philracom Juvenile Fillies and Colts Stakes Race with an opportunity to score a three-race sweep on Dec. 1.

Runners-up were Murika, Truly Ponti, Super Sonic and 2017 Triple Crown champion Sepfourteen.

Other winners included Mariano Tirona (Son Also Rises in the MARHO Sprint), Hermie Rivera (Scarborough Shoal in the MARHO Championship Classic and Iikot Lang in the MARHO-SC Stockfarm Trophy Race), Antonio Tan Jr. (Money in My Pocket in the MARHO Eduardo Calixto Memorial Race and Boss Emong in the  MARHO Ciara Marie Abalos Foundation Trophy Race), Antonio Coyco (Lucky Saver in the MARHO Manila Horsepower Organization Race), Leonardo Javier Jr. (Obra Maestra in the MARHO 3YO Colt and Filly Mile) and Vincent Go Bon (I Don’t Mind in the MARHO Siomai House Trophy Race).