ANG mala-birhen o malinis na kartada sa nagdaang 2019 racing season, pararangalan si champion horse Union Bell at owner nitong Bell Racing Stable sa isasagawang 2020 Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom) Awards ngayong Linggo sa Chantilly Bar ng San Lazaro Leisure Park sa Carmona, Cavite.
Iniluklok ang undisputed 2YO champion bilang 2019 Stakes Races Horse of the Year ng Philracom matapos ang malinis na anim na panalo kabilang ang limang stakes races victory – pinakamarami sa nagdaang 2019 racing calendar.
Sinimulan ng two-year-old colt (sire Union Rags, USA; dam Tocqueville, ARG) ang 2019 sa panalo ng 2YO regular race noong September 25, kasunod ang pagwalis sa limang stakes race na tampok ang tatlong leg ng Philracom Juvenile Colts and Stakes Races at dalawang leg ng Philtobo Juvenile Championships.
Sa mga hataw ni Union Bell, nahirang din ang Bell Racing Stable ni owner Elmer de Leon bilang Stakes Races Horse Owner of the Year, kung saan tinaggap ng anak niyang si Loel at utol na si Joseph ang award mula kina Philracom chairman Andrew A. Sanchez, commissioners Victor Tantoco at Lyndon Guce at executive director Andrew Rovie Buencamino.
Si star jockey Jonathan B. Hernandez, ang nagtimon sa lahat ng panalo ni Union Bell nitong 2019, ang itinanghal na Stakes Races Jockey of the Year.
Kikilalanin naman si Real Gold, pag-aari ni Jesus Ramon Mamon ng C&H Enterprises, bilang Top Earning Horse of the Year sa kinitang P7.4M sa likod ng dalawang panalo sa tatlong salang sa Triple Crown Series ng Philracom.
Paparangalan bilang 2019 Stakes Races Horse Trainer of the Year si Danilo Sordan, habang si Ruben Tupas ang Top Earning Trainer of the Year (P2.6M).
Habang si Atty. Narciso Morales ang Top Earning Horse Owner of the Year (P38.9M).
“These awardees prove that the Philippine horse-racing industry will always have an abundance of achievers despite the challenges. We at the Philracom look forward to more achievers in the 2020 racing calendar so that the industry can stay vibrant and dynamic,” sabi ni Sanchez. (REC)