Owners set to declare race holiday

UNHAPPY due to the steady dip in sales the past two years, the three major associations of racehorse owners in the country want President Aquino to effect immediate change in the current leadership of the Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom).

Metropolitan Association of Race Horse Owners, Inc. (Marho) president Eric Tagle, Klub Don Juan de Manila (KDJM) head  Tony Eleaza and Philippine Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Organization (Philtobo) top brass Nonoy Niles and some other prominent members announced during a press conference at Club Filipino in San Juan last night that  the owners have threatened to not declare their horses in a racing holiday starting today, “for as long as it takes and until the President hears us out.”

Tagle said that their letter to Mr. Aquino will be delivered today in Malacañang, coinciding with the first day of the holiday.

“We are not here to go to war with anybody, we just want to implement change,” said Tagle. “We are not trying to destroy the industry but improve it.”

Angel Castaño, Jr. is the Philracom chair and Jess Santos the executive director.  They were appointed in September 2010.
From sales of P7.99 billion at the end of 2010, the industry raked P7.90 billion in 2012 and P7.55 billion last year, a decline of  P350,000,000 which is reflected generally in the prize money for owners.