2 big PCSO benefit races set Sunday

FOUR veteran campaigners make up the small but competitive field vying in the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Anniversary Race, one of two big benefit events scheduled this afternoon at San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite.

Si Señor, to be ridden by Jeff Zarate, Arvindugo (J. Bacaycay), Pleasantly Perfect (Jonathan Hernandez) and Purple Ribbon (Val Dilema) will dispute the top prize of P700,000 in the 1600-meter race held for the benefit of the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA).

The other benefit race highlighting the government agency’s 78th anniversary celebration is a 1400-m open group event featuring one colt and five fillies, with proceeds going to Pugad Lawin Philippines.

With two-time PSA jockey of the year awardee Jesse Guce handling him, Pugad Lawin is expected to stat as overwhelming favorite when he battles Seni Sevivorum, Quakers Hill, Pinay Beauty, Machine Gun ‘Mama and Madam Theresa for the top prize of P180,000 staked in the race benefiting the country’s oldest group of media practitioners.

PSA president Rey Bancod of Tempo, meanwhile, thanked PCSO general manager lawyer Jose Ferdinand Rojas II for sponsoring a race for the benefit of the 80-member association, saying “PCSO has been a longtime friend of the PSA and an old supporter of local horse racing.”

It’s anybody’s race among the four entries in the second PCSO race, which also offers P400,000 to the runner-up, P300,000 to the third and P100,000 to the fourth placer.

Owned by Tony Tan Jr and trained by Ruben Tupas, Pugad Lawin will carry a huge handicap weight of 58 kilos, but the extra weight is not expected to prevent him from setting out as solid pick in the Pugad Lawin run.

The two PCSO races precede the fourth leg of the Juvenile Colts stakes, 1500-m race featuring nine Triple Crown hopefuls and offering a cash pot of P1.5 million that includes P900,000 for the champion.