Manila Jockey Club, Inc., the premier horse racing club in the country and one of Asia’s oldest will be hosting the 46th PCSO Presidential Gold Cup on Dec. 9 (Sunday).
As the most awaited event in the local racing calendar, the coveted Gold Cup title is sought after by the best athletes in the industry today.
It also remains the most popular event among the Bayang Karerista, who flock SLLP and its Off-Track stations to watch their champions take the stage.
A Memorandum of Agreement Signing Ceremony was held at Manila Golf and Country Club to formalize the holding of the event and finalize the commitments of each party. In attendance were top officials from MJC, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, and the Philippine Racing Commission.
“I am very proud to announce that the Presidential Gold Cup is coming home to San Lazaro Leisure Park! We are honored to be a partner of PCSO in this very noble and historical event in the local horse racing calendar,” said Atty. Alfonso G. Reyno III, President and CEO of MJC.
Since its establishment in 1934, the PCSO has been a strong supporter of the local horse racing industry. Apart from the Gold Cup, it also sponsors year-round horse races that contributes to the upliftment and advancement of the sport.
“PCSO takes pride in honoring the President with a very special event that will feature the new crop of horses that are currently dominating the racing scene. This race has gained tremendous prestige, which has become the definitive championship for elite local-bred horses,” said Ret. Gen. Alexander Balutan, General Manager of PCSO.
Locally-bred runners will compete for the grand five million pesos (P5,000,000) distributed purse for the 1st to 4th placers, including a cash incentive to the winning breeder.
Declared runners include Manalig Ka/CS Pare Jr. by Aurelio P. De Leon; Electric Truth/MA Alvarez by Leonardo M. Javier Jr.; Highway One/VR Dilema by Cool Summer Farm; Dixie Gold/OP Cortez by Joseph C. Dyhengco; Radioactive/KB Abobo and Sepfourteen/JA Guce by SC Stockfarm Inc.; Salt and Pepper/JB Hernandez by Herminio S. Esguerra; and Pangalusian Island/JPa Guce by Wilbert T. Tan.
The Presidential Gold Cup was conceived by the PCSO board headed by the late Chairman and General Manager, Nereo C. Andong. It instantly became a popular event among the racing community with Sun God owned by Don Pedro Cojuangco winning the inaugural race in 1973.