Horseracing 101 by Gary Alcasid

A lot of people have been asking me, how are you related to Jockey AB Alcasid and Doc Alcasid. I say, AB is my Brother, and of course “Doc” is my dad.

They are people who belong to the group of ‘kareristas’ who spend most of their weekends trying their luck at winning one time big time or choosing their favorite ‘llamados’ or ‘dehados’ and praying that their combinations put them in the money run. Some of you understand what I mean and would probably even have expert advise on how to win and how to scientifically choose a winning horse. Yes folks I’m talking about horse racing.

It has been labeled as the sport of kings. Not because only the kings could afford to play it but rather because of the kingly elegance and grace of the horse.

To understand why horseracing is such a popular sport we have to understand a bit about the history of horseracing in the country.

Horseracing has been in the country since the early 1900′s brought to the country by affluent Filipino, Spanish and English families of Manila. With it’s early roots starting in San Lazaro Hippodrome in Tayuman, Manila in 1867 the first ever  racing club in Southeast Asia led and managed by Jose dela Gandara y Navarro, then Spanish General of the Philippines.

Historically, horse racing dates back as far as the 16th century and has become popular around the world due to the adrenaline rush and excitement it brings to whoever watches it.

This rush gave it the attraction it has today. People spend billions of dollars breeding, tuning, improving, and perfecting the performance of their race horses.

Here in the Philippines, whole industries ranging from horse racing equipment, feeds(i.e.rolled oats, corn, corn hash, grass) racing jerseys, to even equine sports medicine have evolved into big businesses just because of the popularity of the sport, not to mention the gambling part

But there are a lot of Pinoys who still do not know or understand what horse racing really is. “Ay sugal yan, di ko hilig yan.” or “May daya yan, may ‘byahe’ at ‘laglagan’ dyan.” are the common misconceptions about the sport.

I’d like to debunk some myths about the sport which I grew up with and was able to finish my studies at a good school with.

1. “Horse Racing is rigged – May daya yan” – though there are very few occasions where cheating in horse races really happen. It’s really difficult to do. For one thing a whole mob of angry bettors can easily swarm you to death. Also there are a whole lot of people involved in judging, assessing and reviewing the races. They’re called the Stewards. Each corner of the track has one spotting those jockeys who intend to cheat or pull back on his horse while galloping towards the finish line. There are also stewards watching above the finish line to judge who crosses the lines first. They are the law at the races.

2.”Ang Karera depende lang sa Jockey, sila sila din nag uusap dyan kaya pwede silang mandaya.” – Wrong! Jockeys who get caught cheating are suspended for a specific period depending on the Stewards judgment and based on the rules and regulations of the Philippine Racing Commission who is the governing body of horse racing. Yes there are rules and guidelines.

3.”Kahit sino pwede maging Jockey?” – There is a Philippine Jockeys Academy. It’s a school for those who would want to become jockeys. Aside from meeting the physical requirements, you also have to undergo training and pass before you can ride, and yes you need a license(sort of..it’s more of a certification from the academy) to become a Jockey.

4.”Malakas ba kumita ang Jockey?” – It depends, if you are good, you always win races so you earn through the prize money given to you, plus the ‘balato’ from the owners. Its not like basket ball where you are paid a salary or honorarium when you play. If you lose, you don’t get anything.

5. “Nakakaadik ba pag tumaya ka sa karera?” – It’s all up to you. I’m not saying that I don’t gamble. I do from time to time, but not to the point that I won’t last without it. Just like in anything, if taken in moderation it’s not bad. The bad part with some people (not only Pinoys) is that they long for that one-time-big time winning and they get so obsessed by it that they do it so often that they could no longer get it out of their system.

I hope I was able to enlighten some of you to this sport. I am not encouraging you to try, nor please do not ask me to teach you how. Why, because I consider you my friends. Sabi nga nila, “Kung may galit ka sa isang tao, turuan mong mangarera.”

Finally, I wrote about horse racing to show you the other side. The good side. My dad was able put me and my five other siblings to good schools through horse racing. He has built a career out of it for about two decades and I am grateful to this awesome sport of kings.

That’s why I am not ashamed to say I love this sport!