Wind Blown dominates lean field

Wind Blown scored an expected romp in the Senate President’s Cup, dominating a lean field and literally running away with the top P600,000 purse in a fitting victory that highlighted the final day of racing at San Lazaro yesterday.

The long layoff, the heavy handicap weight, the punishing 2,000-meter distance and the pressure put up by Catwalk Pia in the early going proved no burden for the massive charger who simply galloped home to victory unopposed.

Wind Blown turned in a 2:09 clocking with fraction times of 25-25-26’-25-27’.

That he won the race in wire-to-wire fashion spoke well of the caliber of the six-year-old champion horse, who merely ignored Catwalk Pia’s pressure from the start up to the backstretch where he responded to jockey Fernando Raquel, Jr’s urgings to start pulling away from the pack.

One, two, three, four lengths. By the time his rivals reached the far turn, Wind Blown was already making the final bend although Raquel, with a handicap weight of 59 kg, had to apply the whip down the stretch to ensure the victory for his mount who hadn’t seen action in two months.

"Magandang panalo din ito at nabura rin sa memorya ng tao ang talo nya dito noong Presidential Gold Cup," said owner Hermie Esguerra, referring to Wind Blown’s stunning loss to Free Wind last December.

Golden Ballet snatched second prize worth P225,000 while Catwalk Pia’s coupled entry Lyonnais and Hyperbid finished third and fourth, respectively.

Earlier, Perfect Storm ran a perfect race to rule the Philracom’s Commissioner’s Cup Stakes Race, beating Sensational, Adam’s Call and Montpellier to likewise pocket the top P600,000 prize for owner Patrick Uy. — Ramon Romualdez