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At stake this weekend

A total of 111 million in prizes will be up for grabs in a weekend of highstakes racing, highlighted by the Ambassador Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr. Cup and the San Miguel Beer-MARHO Breeders Championship Classic at the Sta. Ana Racetrack in Naic, Cavite.

Three record holders in Sakima, Shukriya and Smokin' Saturday banner the elite cast of horses scheduled to run on Sunday.

SC Stockfarm's Sakima, which submitted the record time in the 1,800 meters last Oct. 1 with a 1:50 clocking, sets out as the favorite in the Ambassador Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr. Cup, held in honor of the San Miguel Corp. Chairman, a stalwart in the horseracing industry.

To be ridden by Jockey JA Guce, Sakima is expected to face stiff competition from stablemate Hitting Spree (Jockey KB Abobo), Joseph Dyhengco's Atomicseventynine (JT Zarate), Narciso Morales' Messi (EG Esguerra) and Cool Summer Farm's She's Incredible (OP Cortez) in the Cojuangco Cup offering a total purse of 12.5 million.

Smokin' Saturday of owner Roberto Inigo and Shukriya of Amado Bagatsing lead the roster in the Philippine Racing Commission's 2nd Leg 3YO Imported Fillies Stakes, which offers a total prize of 1500,000.

Shukriya, to be ridden by MM Gonzales, owns the record time of 1:11.0 in the 1,200 meters last Oct. 1, while Smokin' Saturday, which will have JT Zarate as her jockey on Sunday, set the record in the 1,600 meters of 1:37.6, achieved only last Oct. 22.

The MARHO (Metropolitan Association of Race Horse Owners) Breeders Classic Championship, on the other hand, is one of the biggest racing events in the Philippine horse racing industry and is a culmination of a three-leg series of high-powered events held simultaneously with the MARHO Invitational Races leading to the big race.

Other races slated on Sunday are the Mayor Leonardo “Sandy” Javier Jr. Thanksgiving Cup 3YO Colt Mile, the Andoks Litson Corp. Cup-3 YO Filly Mile, the MARHO Breeders Championship 2YO Juvenile Colts and the PCSO-backed Sprint Race.