MANILA, Philippines — A slambang showdown looms in the third leg of the Philippine Racing Commission’s Triple Crown Series at the MetroTurf Racing Complex on Sunday as six of the country’s best three-year-old thoroughbreds, led by the series’ first two winners Real Gold and Boss Emong, clash for fame, fortune and glory.
First-leg winner Real Gold (jockey JP A Guce) of the C & H Enterprise and second-leg champ Boss Emong (jockey Dan Camanero) of owner Edward Vincent Diokno are the odds-on picks to run away with the third jewel of the Triple Crown series.
But Diokno is wary of the tough competition.
“It’s anybody’s race. I don’t think magiging fight lang ito between my horse Boss Emong and Real Gold, only God can tell kung sino ba ang nararapat para sa korona ng third leg ng Triple Crown,” said Diokno.
The four others standing in their way and the top prize of P1.8-million from the guaranteed P3 million pot in the long 2,000-meter race are Moises Villasenor’s My Jopay (jockey Pat R. Dilema); Melanie Habla’s Shanghai Grey (jockey JB Hernandez); Juanito Tionloc’s Sir Joaquin (JT Zarate) and Renato Virata’s My Dad Bogart (MP Laloma).
My Jopay has participated in the first two legs and could be ripe for a breakthrough win, while My Dad Bogart and Sir Joaquin could pull off a surprise.
“We are blessed that Real Gold is able to compete in all three legs of the Triple Crown. Special thanks goes to the connections behind the conditioning of the horse. May the best horse win this coming Sunday,” said Butch Mamon, one of Real Gold’s owners.
Second-placer of the race pockets P675,000, with the third and fourth placers getting P375,000 and P150,000, respectively. A P100,000 prize is allotted for the breeder of winning horse. All prizes are put up by the Philracom.
In the accompanying third leg of the 2019 Philracom Hopeful Stakes Race, which will also be run in 2,000 meters, a seven-horse field, bannered by second leg runner-up Two Timer (owner Melanie Habla, jockey JA Guce) and third placer The Accountant (Luis Aguila, Pat R Dilema), will be eyeing the P600,000 top prize, from the total P1-million purse.
Joining the Hopeful Stakes field are Best Regards (owner Peter Aguila, jockey CP Henson), My Shelltex (Antonio Tan, JB Guce), Phenomenal (Enrique Javier, JP A Guce), Tulos Express (Mario Alvarez, RM Garcia) and Westeros (Juan Miguel Yulo, AR Villegas).