Outstanding favorite Spectrum caught up with the leaders deep in the stretch and won the first leg of the Juvenile Stakes series Sunday at San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite.
Getting heavy whipping from jockey Dan Camanero, Spectrum passed speedballs Pronto and Sippin Away with 200 remaining in the short 1000-meter race en route to the win that established him as one of the horses to watch in next year’s Triple Crown championship.
The son of Golden Pharoah and Celestial Chase won for owner lawyer-businessman Narciso O. Morales the top prize of P600,000 as he raised his earnings to P1.2 million after winning the same prize in a victorious campaign in the PCSO Maiden race last month.
Spectrum clocked 1 minute and 01.4 seconds, finishing a length in front of the fast-finishing Killer Hook under Pat Dilema, the same colt who came in six lengths behind as runnerup to Morales’ pride and joy in the said PCSO race.
“I hope he’ll run much better in Naic (Sta. Ana Park) where he is stabled,” said Morales, whose stable produced another winner right after the Juvenile race when the EP Nahilat-ridden Turf Moor beat 13 others in the Solaire Cup Division Cup.
“The horse has the heart to fight,” Morales said of Spectrum, now two-of-two in career starts.
According to Morales, next race for Spectrum is the second leg of the Juvenile series next month in Naic, which is scheduled for a longer distance of 1,400 meters.
Sippin Away, ridden by Jonathan Hernandez, faded in the stretch and finished third, while Pronto (Joel Lazaro) and Port Angeles came in fourth and fifth, respectively in the race that featured seven colts and four fillies, all 2-year-olds.
Selling more than three-fourths of the total double sales of P715, 505, Spectrum got out of the No. 9 stall poorly and spent the first 600 meters chasing Pronto and Sippin Away before leaving his rivals behind going into the final 200 meters.