Gold Cup race stakes richest ever purse

The richest and most prestigious horse race in the country comes off the wraps Sunday at the San Lazaro Hippodrome as the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) and host Manila Jockey Club, Inc. (MJCI) mark the 28th annual running of the coveted PCSO Presidential Gold Cup Race.

Considered as the high point of the yearly racing calendar, the PCSO Presidential Gold Cup will again showcase the best thoroughbreds in the land competing for a record pot of P2.375-million over a classic distance of 2,000-meters or 1-1/4-miles.

This was bared by PCSO General Manager Ricardo Golpeo yesterday in the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at the Holiday Inn Manila Pavilion. The event is supported by MJCI president Alfonso Reyno, Jr.

"The annual running of the Presidential Gold Cup is a reaffirmation of the PCSO’s commitment to elevate the standard of local horse racing and provide the incentive for the improvement of the local breed. Moreover, the race also stands as a recognition of horse racing’s significant contribution to the economy and to the noble task of raising funds for charity as a partner of the PCSO," Golpeo said.

Top contenders are eight battle-tested chargers led by Wind Blown and Gold Edition, recent winners of the MARHO Breeders’ Cup Championship races at the Santa Ana Park.

Others in the hunt for the crown and a possible shot at the Horse of the Year plum include recent stakes winner Phenomenal and such proven gallopers like High Roller, Tough Cookie, Greely Good, My Preperido and Misty Rose.

The winner of the blue-ribbon racing classic is guaranteed P1.5-Million in prizes plus a handsome replica of the original PCSO Presidential Gold Cup. No less than President Joseph Estrada, the event’s honoree, has been invited to the occasion and award the Presidential Gold Cup to the owner of the winning entry.

"The PCSO and the Philippine Racing Commission, two agencies under the Office of the President, have issued a common invitation to the President to take part in this year’s Presidential Gold Cup festivities, which are expected to attract a sizeable following of horse racing aficionados," according to Golpeo.

The PCSO Presidential Gold Cup returns this year to the San Lazaro Hippodrome, venue to its inaugural running (1973), which was won by Pedro Cojuangco’s legendary Sun God.

"We would like to inform the public, most notably the avid horse racing fans, that we are preparing a fiesta celebration this Sunday at the Manila Jockey Club. As the high point of this year’s racing activities, we feel that it is only fitting that we mark this event with a grand celebration," said MJCI President Alfonso Reyno, Jr.

For its part, the Philippine Racing Commission, through Chairman Benedicto Katigbak, announced that the Philarcom would be allocating additional prize money for majority of the races scheduled to take place on Presidential Gold Cup Day.