Philtobo races on at Sta. Ana

The Philtobo Grand Championship Day blasts off today at the Santa Ana Park.

The organizing Philippine Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders’ Organization (Philtobo), headed by its president Bienvenido Niles Jr. and its chairman Amb. Antonio Lagdameo, said the annual racing festival highlights a major racing in every category.

The centerpiece 2,050m event, which offers a total purse of P600,000 and a champion’s prize of P360,000, will be hotly contested by five protagonists –Hermie Esguerra’s Real Spicy (Lito Daquis), Joseph Dyhengco’s Ididitmyway (Jonathan Hernandez), Cong. Jeci Lapus’ Special Edition (Pati Dilema) and Don Exequiel (RR Camanero), and David Lee’s Empire King (LC Lunar).

The race features two former Philtobo Classic champions – defending champion Real Spicy and 2006 champ Empire. But the presence of three other dangerous opponents – Ididitmyway, Special Edition and Don Exequiel –provides the twist.

Meanwhile, Go Army tries to keep its unblemished winning slate clean when it battles four other hopeful newcomers in the P500,000 Mitra Cup Juvenile Colts Championship. Those who will try to make an upset in the 1,500-meter race are Iconic, Scout Ranger, Lively Dude, Elgin and Chairman, and Oh Wack.

In the distaff side of the 2-Year-Old championship, experts believe a mad scramble to the finish is expected with the entry of equally talented gallopers that include Queen Of Queens, Blue Ocean, Heaven Sent, Specially Discreet, and Alyssa’s Gold. This race is also set at 1,600 meters.

 On the other hand, the two promising superstars of local horseracing - Don Enrico and Indelible Ink - face solid rivals in their respective divisions as they try to end 2008 with a bang.

Don Enrico confronts a compact but very exciting field that includes Will Of Destiny, Tabako, and Imperial Ballet in the P500,000 3-Year-Old Colts Championship while Indelible Ink pits talents with the likes of Sling Shot Effect, Forever Young, Victorian Stone and Vergara in the P500,000 3-Year-Old Fillies Championship. Both of this championship races will be disputed over the same 1,600-meter distance.

The Philtobo Grand Championship Day is the last major stakes races to be hosted by the Philippine Racing Club, which is closing its Makati racetrack after several decades of existence. It now has a new and modern horseracing and business facilities in Cavite.