Morally and Varatti came up with impressive victories as they ruled the Prince Cup and King’s Gold Cup, respectively, over the weekend at the Metro Manila Turf Club Inc. (MMTCI) in Malvar, Batangas.

Expertly handled by star jockey Mark Alvarez with Ernesto Roxas as trainer, Morally survived gate trouble and poor start to post one minute and 38.4 seconds in the 1,600-meter race or his third straight Prince Cup crown.

On the other hand, second leg winner Varatti rediscovered his form en route to eclipsing first leg winner Sherbet Fountain to rule the third leg of the Kings Cup and pocket the P7 million cash reward.

Owned by James Rabano and trained by Ramon Nartea with Jeff Zarate on the saddle, Varatti took the lead at the far turn and clocked an impressive mark of 1:36.

Also held were the inaugural memorial races for the late MMTCI’s founder Dr. Norberto Quisumbing. Caloocan Zap outsprinted Modern Stroke and California King to win the first trophy while imported galloper Ace of Diamonds outshone Brichton and Blue Mind Theory to grab the second plum

The Prince and Kings Gold Cup was conceived by MMTCI chairman and chief executive officer Atty. Narciso Morales to rekindle public interest and stimulate growth in the horseracing sector after the prolonged disruption of the global pandemic.

MMTCI dangled a total of P17 million for the events with P7 million each for the winners of the Prince Cup and Kings Gold Cup, P3 million each to the victors of the two Dr. Norberto Quisumbing Jr. Memorial Stakes races with competitors guaranteed a minimum purse of P400,000 to underscore the organization’s commitment to elevating competition and providing meaningful rewards for owners, trainers, and jockeys.

A total of P97 million were collected in the three-day festivity that featured 24 races.