Obra Maestra delivered another masterful show, this time on a rainy New Year’s eve as she pulled off an emphatic victory in the 2018 Juvenile Championships the Saddle and Clubs Leisure Park in Naic, Cavite.
The Sandy Javier Jr.-owned two-year-old filly measured the mettle of the heavy 12-horse field in the early goings, before going full throttle in the final 400 meters to score the eight-length win, its third stakes triumph for the year.
“Ngayon lang din naman mapapasabak ng maramihan ‘yung kabayo ko, kaya kina-kalkula ko. Pero nu’ng naramdaman ko sa half mile na medyo kaya ko na siya, tinitignan ko na lang ‘yung nasa harapan ko kaya para ‘di masyadong mabigyan ng pressure. Kaya pagdating po ng home stretch, sabi ko na kaya ko na itong last 400 meters,” said jockey JB Guce.
With the win, Guce declared his horse’s readiness for the bigger races ahead, including the 2019 Triple Crown.
“Puwede na po ‘yan sa Triple Crown, hasang-hasa na,” added Guce.
Obra Maestra, which was also coming off a dominant victory in the P2-million 2018 Philracom Juvenile Fillies Stakes only last month, gifted her owner the top purse of P1.5 million from the guaranteed total pot of P2.5 million put up by the racing commission. Javier also took the P75,000 prize as breeder of the winning horse.
Javier and his wife Karen personally received the Juvenile Championship trophy from Philracom Commissioner Victor Tantoco and Philippine Racing Club Inc. Racing Manager Antonio Alcasid. Richard Tupas received the trainer’s award on behalf of his father Ruben.
Full of Grace (jockey MA Alvarez, owner Alfredo R. Santos) took the runner-up purse of R52,500, while My Jopay (CP Henson, Moises B. Villasenor) received P312,500. Lady Mischief (KB Abobo, SC Stockfarm) placed fourth, worth P125,000.
Forest Cover, the 2nd leg winner of the Philracom Juvenile Colts Stakes Race, could only finish fifth in the race ran over 1,600 meters.
Other winners in the last Philracom offering for the year were AZAP (Race 1), Misha (Race 2),
Aim Thirty One (Race 3), Yosemite (Race 4), War Dancer (Race 5), Always On Time (Race 7), Hail Storm (Race 8), Universe (Race 9), Beautiful Star (Race 10), Nostradamus (Race 11), and Native American (Race 12).
