Wind Blown fancied in Gold Cup

Wind Blown tries to become only the fourth horse in local racing history to win the Presidential Gold Cup in back-to-back fashion as the massive charger leads the chase for the top P1.5 million purse in the blue-ribbon event at the Santa Ana Park today.

Considered as the richest event in the year-long racing calendar, the PCSO Presidential Gold Cup, held in honor of President Arroyo, also stakes P500,000 to the second placer, P250,000 to the third and P125,000 to the fourth finisher. The total pot this year is P2.375 million.

Having beaten practically all the nine other horses in the fold in big-time racing, Wind Blown is heavily fancied to dominate the field and join such talented chargers as Fair and Square (1981-82), Sun Dancer (1989-90) and Bulldozer (1996-97) in the elite circle of back-to-back winners in the past 28 stagings of the event.

Sure, there will be spoilers, such as Super Sharp, Ilocandia Slew, veteran campaigner Charlemagne and noted stretch runners Kiwi Rose, Hyperbid, Gold Edition, Materiales Fuertes and Sky Hawk. But experts believe Wind Blown is too much a force to reckon with and literally too big a horse for the rest to beat.

The distance, set at 2,050 meters, also favors the four-year-old entry of Hermie Esguerra although Wind Blown is such a talented horse that he could also be sent to the front early to hound the speedsters such as Batangas Entry.

"We are indeed privileged to be a part of this important racing event honoring the country’s President, the chief patron of an industry that generates significant income to the government and its direct players, as well as substantial economic benefits for the marginalized sectors of our society," said Pagcor chairman and president Ephraim Genuino. — Ramon Romualdez