Es Twenty Six wins Breeder’s Cup Classic

MANILA, Philippines – Superhorse Es Twenty Six justified her Horse of the Year title win last year winning the 2008 Metropolitan Association of Race Horse Owners (Marho) Breeder’s Cup Classic Race Sunday night at the Santa Ana Park. Handled by one of the country’s leading jockeys today, Jessie B. Guce who won three races on Sunday, Es Twenty Six clocked a respectable 2:11.06 over the punishing distance of 2050 meters and won by five lengths over last year’s Classic winner Native Land. Treasured Ack came in third, Ididitmyway was fourth while Music King finished dead last after leading the early part of the race. Es Twenty Six brought home P1.2 million for owner Neri Sunga as first prize for her impressive victory. Native Land settled for the P450,00 second prize while Treasured Ack salvaged P250,000 for finishing third and Ididitmyway landed on the money list with P100,000. A breeder’s purse of P100,000 was also awarded to the nation’s leading breeder Sandy Javier for producing Es Twenty Six by Principality out of Play by Ear. The four-year-old mare, trained by Dabe Dela Cruz, completed a three-year sweep of winning one of the country’s most prestigious stakes races after winning the 2006 Juvenile Fillies and last year’s Fillies Mile staged by Marho. In the day’s other anticipated race, 2007 Triple Crown two-leg winner Ibarra also won P1.2M for ruling the Ambassador Eduardo M. Cojuangco Cup. Ibarra won handily over Real Spicy and La Tienne. Ibarra, the four-year-old horse piloted by Kelvin Abobo and owned by Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur C. Abalos, finished four lengths ahead of his rivals and clocked 2:09.06 also over 2050 meters. Leading racehorse owner Hermie Esguerra won two of the day’s races to emerge with his prized two-year-old colt Go Army opening the day’s festivities by winning the Juvenile Colts while two-year-old filly Queen of Queens won the PCSO’s Special Maiden Race as a longshot. In another upset of sorts, second favorite and winner of this year’s third leg Triple Crown Championships, Shining Fame won over Don Enrico in the Colt Mile Race for jockey J.B. Guce’s second win of the day. The Filly Mile Race was won by the Aristeo Puyat-owned Blue Arch while EJ’s Magic surprised favored Million Dollar to win the PCSO-sponsored Sprint Race. Favorite Heaven Sent ruled the Juvenile Fillies. Other winners of the day are Special Edition (Ciara Marie Abalos Foundation Trophy Race), Long Nose Hawk (Cong. Amado Bagatsing Trophy race), Cool Town (Juggernaut Trophy Race), Tail Wind (Smart Sports Tipsters Trophy Race), and Ferrarione (Milestone Paper Product Inc Trophy Race). – GMANews.TV