Bagatsing racefest out to surpass record sales

MANILA, Philippines - Hagdang Bato, Pugad Lawin, Sky Hook and the country’s other top thoroughbreds brace for a battle royale in the seventh Mayor Ramon D. Bagatsing Racing Festival set Aug. 29-30 at the Manila Jockey Club’s San Lazaro Leisure Park.

Organizers expect to top last year’s record sales of P43.4 million with an explosive lineup of races on tap in the upcoming event held in honor of the late Manila Mayor, a longtime race aficionado and chief backer of local horseracing.

This year’s total prizes amount to P8.5 million for 18 out of the 25 races for the weekend, the highest amount ever for the annual event, founded in 2009 by his sons Manila Rep. Amado Bagatsing and Philippine Racing commissioner lawyer Ramon Bagatsing Jr.

Proceeds of the races will benefit the Kabalikat ng Bayan sa Kaunlaran (KABAKA) in tandem with the non-government organizations.

“We will be providing free medicines, free check up and consultations, and free laboratories for the poor,” said Bagatsing, who was joined in the session presented by San Miguel Corp., Accel, Shakey’s, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. by his brother Atty. Bagatsing and MJCI marketing manager Nathan Mazo.

“Also through the staging of this event, we are commemorating the life and achievements of a respected and well-loved mayor of Manila, and providing support and incentives to the racing industry,” said Rep. Bagatsing in reference to his late father.

The Bagatsing racefest, he added, was patterned after the Araw ng Maynila Gran Copa de Manila event at the old MJC San Lazaro Hippodrome in Manila, that the late mayor built into a much-awaited annual tradition.

Among the event’s richest races this year, with P1 million each in prizes from first to fourth, are the Philracom-Bagatsing Cup Division I, open to 4YO and older local and imported horses; and the Resorts World Manila Cup, open to all 3YO local horses. Both will be run over 1,750 meters.

Another  major race is the P400,000 Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office-Bagatsing Cup Division II, a mile race for 3YO local horses who have not participated in any Philracom stakes or PCSO stakes or maiden races.

Four other P400,000 races, sponsored by Philracom, PCSO, MJC, and Midas Hotel and Casino; and five P500,000 races sponsored by Resorts World Manila, Solaire Resort and Casino (two), City of Dreams Manila, and San Miguel Corporation will be run.

All the races are scheduled for Sunday.

On Saturday, the racefest will feature an additional P1 million in added prizes, with five P200,000 races backed by Stradcom (two), EEG Development Corp., DLTB Transport, and SMART Corp.-Pasay City Mayor Antonio Calixto.

As in past staging of the event, the Bagatsing family will award a prize of P5,000 and a sack of rice worth P1,500 to each winning groom, along with giveaways from Red Bull Energy Drink and Kabaka Foundation.

“We thank all our sponsors,” said commissioner Bagatsing, “for their generous support through the years, and we hope that racing fans will enjoy this year’s lineup.”