MANILA, Philippines — Chef Cat struck in the nick of time for a thrilling photo-finish, come-from-behind victory in the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Cup benefit race in the 29th Metropolitan Association of Horse Race Owners (MARHO) Breeders’ Championships on Friday at the Metro Manila Turf Club Inc. in Malvar, Batangas.
A scintillating comeback it was for the bet of the Juan Carlos (JC) delos Reyes stable all the way from fifth place midway through the 1,200-meter race to snatch the crown of the second of seven races by the Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom) led by chairman Reli de Leon and sponsored by Leyte Vice Gov. Sandy Javier.
Captained by jockey Antonio Navarosa, Chef Cat ate dust on the far right of the field in the first 600 meters as Axis Deviation, Compassion, Marengo and Street Magic formed a four-way lead before slowly trimming the gap by shifting to the left field in the 1,000-meter mark.
Chef Cat gained steam at the final curve before lighting it up in the homestretch to move past three more rivals with a razor-thin margin just in front of the Clubhouse.
Navarosa’s horse crossed the finish in one minute and 15 seconds to beat Compassion and Seven of Diamonds.