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JUST got
back from that arduous but real-life experience of how
life is at Shanghai, China, these days. We didn’t
actually stay in Shanghai for long, making it only a
starting point in going farther north to a car plant in
the province of Wuhu.
Four
days and three nights was more than enough to see
firsthand the real life prevailing in one of the places
in “the sleeping giant that has awaken up” that is
China.
The cold
was bitter there, as we struggled with three degrees
centigrade or even subzero temperatures at night. We had
tasted the first snow one night as we came back from a
dinner outside of our hotel, the Grand Metro Park in
Nanjing (yes, the same site of the Nanking Massacre). We
frolicked for
a few minutes outside and really had fun as we scooped
up the half-inch snow covering several cars outside the
hotel and cameras clicked one after the other.
Shanghai,
considered as the financial capital of the region, is
really one heck of a developing city as construction of
new buildings was everywhere.
Despite
the almost eight- to nine-story high stacks of elevated
highways, there is still traffic (but not that heavy)
especially during the rush hours.
The
hundreds of miles drive to the Wuhu province is tortuous
but very minute was worth it and we would like to
express our thanks to our host, Chery Automobile Co.,
for that very worthy trip. Special mention also goes to
Iseway Motors Phils. Inc. chairman Antonio Lacdao, COO
Ricky Lam, president and GM Raymond Tumao, managers Tito
Yupangco and Jonas Silva.
ANOTHER
slambang Sunday is expected this weekend when the
Philracom Commissioner’s Cup flags off at the
Santa Ana
Park.
A
whopping P1.2 million will be at stake in this
1,800-meter event sponsored by the Philippine Racing
Commission where the top prize is P720,000. The
runner-up picks up P270,000, while the third- and
fourth-placers get P150,000 and P60,000, respectively.
The breeder’s prize is worth P50,000.
Among
the contenders and their respective owners and jockeys
are: Bienvenido Niles Jr.’s Bumble Bee—Val Dilema 55;
Evangeline Jose’s EJ’s Magic—Dominador Borbe Jr. 54;
Hermie Esguerra’s El Terrible—Manolito Daquis 54 and
Real Spicy—Jeff Zarate 56; Ed Mailom’s
Manhattan—Antonio
Alcasid Jr. 55; Tony Tan’s Native Land—Jesse Guce 57;
Jesse Lapus’s War Alert—JB Hernandez 56.
Real
Spicy is gunning for victory No. 3 as it had already
bagged two major stakes races earlier—the Garnet II on
January 27 and the February 10 Amethyst, both at the San
Lazaro Leisure Park. But two of its earlier rivals in
the Garnet II—Manhattan and Native Land—will be there
this Sunday to spoil its bid.
Manhattan checked in second in the January 27 tussle while
Native
Land, the top choice, placed third.
By the
way, this Sunday’s event is in honor of former Philracom
commissioner Felizardo “Jun” Sevilla Jr. Top officials
of the Philracom, led by chairman Jose Ferdinand Rojas
II, are expected to grace the awarding ceremony together
with the host PRCI officials.
By the
time you read this one, we would already have the
results of Curlin’s debut yesterday at the Nad al-Sheba
racecourse—the $175,000 Jaguar Trophy Race at 1 and
1/4-miles Curlin faced five others in his final prep
race before the rich March 29 Dubai World Cup (UAE-I)
and they include Familiar Territory, Imperialista,
Arqaam, Engrupido and Jet Express. Familiar Territory is
an impressive handicap winner early this month, being
trained by Saeed bin Surror who also trains Imperialista.
That rich Dubai World Cup will also be run over the same
distance of 1 and 1/4 miles and carries a whopping prize
of $6 million.
The
first millionaire horse in the ongoing Fasig-Tipton
Calder Select Sale of two year olds in Training is the
son of Street Cry out of a 10-year-old winning Tabasco
Cat mare Sage Cat which was sold for $2.1 million.
The winning bidder was John Ferguson, the bloodstock
manager of Dubai’s Shekh Mohammed. Street Cry and his
other son—2007 Kentucky Derby winner Street Sense—are
both standing at Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley operation in
Kentucky. The colt is a half-birther to Ellie Cat (by
Crafty Prospector) which won the 2008 Croute Handicap at
the Fair Grounds and was consigned by the Scanlon
Training Center. As a yearling, the colt was bought by
Paul Pompa Jr. for only $425,000 during the 2007
Keeneland September Yearling Sale.
A
Japanese colt is being readied for bigger races in the
US this year.
Named
Casino Drive, which is owned by Hidetoshi Yamamoto,
trained by Kazuo Fujisawa and campaigned by superstar
rider Yutaka Take, it is being hailed as one hell of a
monster by the Japanese press these days. The colt, son
of Mineshaft and bred in Kentucky by Shell Bloodstock,
is half-brother to Rags To Riches (by AP Indy), who won
the 2007 Belmont Stakes, and Jazil (by Seeking the
Gold). Casino Drive is targeting the Belmont Stakes this
year. It will attempt to become the third straight
Belmont winner produced by its dam, Better Than Honour.
It is expected to leave for America at the end of April
and will prep for the
Belmont in either the Preakness (gr. I), or Peter Pan Stakes (gr.II). |
