Bite My Dust rules Philracom Commissioner’s Cup

Veteran jockey Jesse Guce steered Bite My Dust to a commanding six-length win as the duo ruled the Philippine Racing Commission’s first big salvo for the year – the 2018 Philracom Commissioner’s Cup at the Philippine Racing Club Inc.’s Saddle & Clubs Leisure Park in Naic, Cavite recently.

Waiting on the wings for the right time to come, Guce and his four-year-old colt began making their move in the last 400 meters, leaving the field biting their dust en route to the dominant win in the stakes race run over 1,700 meters and held in honor of former Philracom commissioner and executive director Francisco Paulino Cayco.

The Philracom honored Cayco with the stakes race for his “distinguished service during his incumbency as commissioner and executive director of the commission from 1994 to 1998.”

The win was worth P900,000 for owner Nicomedes Cruz.

But more importantly, it gave them the early bragging rights over the star-studded field that included multi-stakes winners Messi of Narciso Morales, Salt and Pepper of Herminio Esguerra and Triple Crown champ Sepfourteen of SC Stockfarm/Jojo Velasquez.

Bite My Dust was six lengths ahead of Salt and Pepper when it reached the finish line. The runner-up finish of Salt Pepper was worth P337,500.

“Maganda ang distansiya. Talagang pang-long distance siya,” said Guce of his colt, trained by Ruben Tupas, who pocketed P70,000 for the breeder’s prize.

Guce’s cousin John Alvin Guce was on top of Sepfourteen, which settled for the third-place prize of P187,500.

Lakan of owner Benjamin Abalos Jr. started strong and took the lead with the Leonardo Javier Jr.-owned Electric Truth, until Bite My Dust began to challenge them in the last 400. The duo then sprinted to the finish in final 100, leaving Salt and Pepper and Sepfourteen behind.

“Remate lang at pumuwesto lang ng maganda. ‘Yun ang diskarte ko,” added Guce.

Other winners at the PRCI Sunday were The Barrister (Race 1), Benissimo (Race 2), Fussion Drive (Race 3), Winter Fields (Race 5), Gee’s Star (Race 6), An affair to remember (Race 7), Runzaprun (Race 8), Song of Songs (Race 9), Morning Breeze (Race 10), Tan Goal (Race 11) and Purple Ribbon (Race 12).

The Philracom’s next big salvo is the Japan Racing Association Cup.

Former Philracom commissioner and executive director Francisco Paulino Cayco (fourth from right) is shown with jockey Jesse Guce (fifth from right), trainer Ruben Tupas (second from left) and a representative of owner Nicomedes Cruz, whose horse Bite My Dust ruled the Philracom Commissioner’s Cup. They are joined in the awards rites by (from left) commissioner Wilfredo de Ungria, chairman Andrew Sanchez, commissioners Bienvenido Niles Jr. and Lyndon Guce and PRCI chief handicapper Julius Pecayo.