AFTER attending the Joint Foreign Chambers (JFC) Arangkada Forum last year, I mentioned in this space that maybe I should visit the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Cavite and see for myself if there was a horse named Arangkada running in one of their races.
I am not a gambling person by any stretch of the imagination but I figured it might be good to bet on a horse named Arangkada.
All my life, I never had much luck with raffles and whatever game of chance there is that I attempted to try. So, if Arangkada was in the racetrack, I could never go wrong with that. Maybe, I could even leave the place with a few hundreds of pesos more in my pocket.
I mean the JFC, in some ways, had a hand in the Philippines registering all-time record of $6.20 billion in foreign direct investments last year. That was an awesome achievement no matter how you slice it.
Anyway, after more than a year, my feet led me back again to the place where horse racing history happens. I also figured it was also a good time to again touch base with Manila Jockey Club Inc. (MJCI) Marketing Head Nathan Mazo whom I have known for several years already.
It was great to see Nathan with his unmistakable salt-and-pepper hair after quite some time. There were also events coordinators Cecille Villanueva and Mina Pates.
There were no races when I visited the place. It was quiet if not for the people who were probably going to the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. casino housed inside. But do not let the lack of activity deceive you. There is a lot going on inside.
As we toured the place, one of the things Nathan told me is the fact that they spend at least P20,000 monthly on food, veterinarian, grooming, trainer and farriery for each of the more than 1,000 thoroughbreds housed inside the 77-hectare leisure park.
That is an expensive proposition for a company that only holds horse races twice a week. But looking around the expansive racing venue, I began to see the possibilities the way Nathan described them to me.
They have something special going on. They want to bring back the glory days of racing. Horse racing, as Nathan explained, is not just a sport. It is also not about gambling alone. But more important, it is a social gathering.
Going back to the Spanish era here in the Philippines, during horse racing season, members of prominent families, businessmen, government officials, church leaders, foreigners, all the way to the masses gather together in one venue to watch the horses run through the streets of Manila.
It was like a gala affair that happens twice a year with most business establishments closed.
It was a time when horse racing fans came in carriages; women came in wearing long skirts and pleated dresses with matching parasols; the men were in their tight pants, four buttoned coats, and ties.
After the races are completed, the women along with their escorts would proceed to the clubhouse where they would dance to the tunes of Spanish quadrille and waltzes.
Now Nathan, told me that they would want to replicate the same buzz and excitement around the races but, at the same time, they do not want to limit those going to San Lazaro Leisure Park to the country’s elite.
He said they want to reeducate Filipinos for them to have a fuller understanding of the social aspect of horse racing.
The way he sees it, San Lazaro Leisure Park offers an alternative destination for families that want to do something different in the age of video games and virtual realities. It is also a celebration of sportsmanship and a venue for friends to rekindle their relationships.
Now, I want to add something to that. If you are like me and have had enough of the malls that have sprouted in every corner of Metro Manila, then what Nathan is proposing becomes even more enticing.
I am sure that for the kiddies out there the sight of the horses parading before the start of every race, the way they gallop out of the gates in a 1,500-meter race, and the raucous crowd all around is something you just will not see happen anywhere else.
Oh, and I should mention that San Lazaro Leisure Park has one very fine restaurant that serves really good food. It is another thing which families can enjoy there.
Here is the thing though. For me, it is the utmost responsibility of the parents to shield their kiddies from the gambling side of what they are seeing in the racetrack.
Look, even in the United Kingdom where horse racing is second only to football, they are also reeducating the masses to the finer points of the sport.
Like I said, they might already be on to something. Nathan said that with San Lazaro Leisure Park surrounded by industrial parks, they have seen an influx of business executives and foreigners coming to the races.
Nathan said there are a lot of Chinese, Japanese and Korean nationals watching the races. Then he quickly added that Europeans, Latin Americans and Australians have also been seen inside their venue.
As for the Filipino crowd, it seems they are getting even more of them these days as horse racing fans from Batangas all the way to Bulacan go to San Lazaro Leisure Park during race days.
Nathan said these people know the horses the way Philippine Basketball Association fans know the players in the league.
Outside of the crowd pull, Nathan also said they also had discussions with the Department of Tourism and several tour operators to push for San Lazaro Leisure Park to become a destination for tourists who are visiting the country.
Nathan said horse racing is an P8-billion industry with MJCI pulling in a healthy 35 percent of the market.
But Nathan said that with them having an enormous property, size wise, they are still thinking out of the box in terms of possibilities.
They have already started turning the inside of the racetrack into a multisport facility where baseball, football, and even wakeboarding can be played.
Late last year, they also broke grounds for the National Football Training Center which will have a two-star artificial turf pitch. It is where the Philippine Football Federation will move its main office, while also becoming the training grounds for the national teams including the Azkals and Malditas.
He said having been a varsity football player during his school days, it is one of his most memorable moments as part of the MJCI family.
Nathan also said they are also looking to make San Lazaro Leisure Park available as a huge concert venue along with it being a leading conventions and events facility. And weddings are also now possible there.
As for Arangkada, the horse, well, there was none. But there was one named Hickory Dickory Dock. Go figure.
For comments, suggestions and reactions, I can be reached at raalzona@yahoo.com.