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WITH the
decision of his connections to put indelible ink into a
“semirest,” the Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom)-sponsored
Diamond I Stakes is expected to be a rout for the
heavily favored Don Enrico this Sunday at the San Lazaro
Leisure Park.
The
three-year-old colt owned by Lorraine Uy Wi will
definitely have a “walk in the park,” but his run this
Sunday will be confidence-building in his solid
preparation for the rigorous Triple Crown Championship
Series, which is set to start next month.
Jockey
John Alvin Guce might not need to use his stick for the
voyage but he should make all the necessary adjustments
needed to make his colt more comfortable and ready for
the big jobs ahead. So is trainer Atoy Sordan, who shall
be scrutinizing his horse more carefully as he prepares
his colt for the series.
With the
first prize of P300,000 all given up for the Don Enrico,
the fight for the runner-up up to the fourth prizes is
still a toss-up among the other five contenders—Edward
Tan’s Euromax, JB Hernandez; Eddie Dimacuha’s Love
Story, MA Alvarez; Bert Calaquian’s Prime Zone, Val
Dilema; Dr. Nic Cruz’s Prying Eyes; and Tony Tan’s
Shining Fame.
As of
now, it’s still anybody’s guess who shall be picking up
the runner-up prize of P112,500 and the third and fourth
of P62,500 and P25,000, respectively.
****
BY now,
parents must be examining or even enrolling their kids
to summer sports camps to get them busy these days.
All
kinds of summer classes and events are everywhere and
parents just need to prepare their kids and their
pockets as well in order to get the best for them.
Here’s
one suggestion from Abbey Valenciano regarding the
Dunlop Tennis Camp that had already started last month
and shall go on up to next month. No less than the
former local tennis sensation Roland So, now the sales
and marketing head for Dunlop Slazenger International
Inc., is the one spearheading this camp in partnership
with various professional tennis coaches.
In Metro
Manila tennis clinics are now being conducted in various
venues in Makati, Parañaque, Alabang, Greenhills,
Mandaluyong and
Quezon City,
while those in the provinces are in Angeles City, Subic
Bay and Laguna.
People
of all ages can derive many benefits from tennis,
whether as a sport or simply a physical-fitness
activity. The clinics enable kids to socialize and
enjoy the sport together, Valenciano quoted So, who
added that the camp is open to kids as young as four
years old.
****
I
MENTIONED summer, right?
But why
is it raining on various parts of the country these
days? Our weather forecasters are not telling us that
rainy days are already here once again. They would do
so, I tell you, when rains hit the metropolis on a
regular basis.
Several
summer events in the provinces have been washed out, so
to speak, because of unforeseen rains. In Pampanga these
days, many people there are saying that rainy days are
already here since they have already seen so many
salagubang coming out of their shelters.
To them,
this ushers in the rainy season. So, why don’t you go to
the beaches or resorts by now and enjoy the remaining
summer while you are seeing the summer sun. The
Philippines has a lot of places to go to, so enjoy while
it last.
****
WHILE
our three-year-old colts and fillies are busy preparing
for the Triple Crown Championship Series, so are their
counterparts in the United States right now.
The
134th running of the prestigious Kentucky Derby at
Churchill Downs will be held on May 3 (that is Sunday
here in Manila) and a whopping guaranteed prize of $2
million is at stake. The Run for the Roses is only open
for 20 contenders but more are expected to beat the
deadline. But if more than 20 are entered, preference
will be given to entrants based on earnings in graded
stakes races.
By the
look of it, we see some eight horses that are assured of
a slot if earnings shall be the basis of their entry if
more than 20 register. Only horses have surpassed the
million-dollar mark in earnings and they are Robert
LaPenta’s War Pass, who had already booked winnings of
$1.32 million in graded earnings, and Winchell
Thoroughbreds’s Pyro.
The
other six on our list that are already assured of the
slots are Breton Jones’s Proud Spell, Big Brown, Zayat
Stables’ Z Humor, Vinery &Fox Hill Farm’s Kodiak Kowboy,
Woodford Racing’s Turf War, and Courtlandt Farm’s
Adriano. Both War Pass and Kodiak Kowboy are trained by
Steve Asmussen, who is the trainer of Dubai World Cup
champ Curlin.
We have
reports that one major contender, Georgie Boy (winner of
the Grade-II San Vicente and San Felipe Stakes), is
already out of the running for the Kentucky Derby after
suffering a pulled back muscle. Georgie Boy, a
California-bred son of Tribal Rule out of Ippodamia, by
Peterhof, has won four of his seven career starts for
earnings of $496,806. Last year he captured the Del Mar
Futurity.
****
IF you
want to see one good show this days, why don’t you try
the Manila International Auto Show (MIAS) now going on
until Sunday at the World Trade Center.
Aside
from more than 20 car launches, you not only get a
glimpse of the legendary Russ Swift (you must have read
the amazing show of this extraordinary guy here as
featured by our colleague in this page Thursday) but you
will also get to see how he inserts his car instantly
between two parked ones coming from the other direction.
Local
car enthusiasts must see this MIAS if they have the
time, since you can get a view on how they do car shows
abroad. Our guys who take time and efforts in organizing
such a huge show are equipped with the know-how on just
what they are doing abroad. You don’t need to go far to
see the Tokyo, Detroit or the LA motor shows just to see
what’s going on in the international motoring scene. Our
local motor shows are fast gaining credibility among the
best in the world already. |
