Humble Riches rules 1st NBI racing festival

MANILA, Philippines - Humble Riches dominated the first National Bureau of Investigation stakes race at the San Lazaro Leisure and Business Park in Cavite last weekend, stretching her win streak to six this year.

Owned by businessman Kenneth Causon, Humble Riches pulled away from the four-horse race a little over the halfway mark of the 1,500-meter event and never looked back to finish with a time of 1:32:40.

Ridden by veteran jockey Vel Dilema, Humble Riches stayed close to the quick-starting Patron, handled by John Paul Guce, who eventually faded and settled for second in 1:34.

The two other entries were Alpha Alleanza and Cinderella Kid.

“There were still some anxious moments in the race even if we won pulling away. We were competing against strong horses,” said Causon, adding that early on he was also contemplating on pulling out his horse from the race since Humble Riches was not used to racing at nighttime.

The two-year-old Humble Riches, with a pedigree that can be traced back to the US Triple Crown champion Secretariat, is now being billed as a major contender for the local version of the Triple Crown next year.

Meanwhile, The Rock pulled off a big upset over favorite and former Triple Crown leg winner Tensile Strength in another four-horse race over 1,600 meters.

The Rock staged a mighty comeback down the stretch to nip the heavily favored Tensile Strength. The Rock clocked 1:40:40.

The NBI horseracing festival was part of a back-to-back treat to sports fans as San Lazaro also aired the Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez fight in Las Vegas in the morning.