page_title: Horse racing in the Philippines
section_title: 2000s
hierarchical_section_title: Horse racing in the Philippines / Independent-Republics era (1946–present) / Thoroughbred-era (1935–present) continued / 2000s
caption_attribution_description: English: Metro Manila Turf Club Race Track (List of sports venues in Metro Manila[1]) -- Race track[2] -- Malvar, Batangas [3] --Website Official FB [4] World-class racetrack sets opening Metro Turf Club, Inc. Race Track, located on the boundary of Malvar town and Tanauan City, opened in February, 2013 with world-class facilities with majestic Mount Makiling [5] serving as backdrop is the third racetrack in the country after the San Lazaro Leisure Club in Carmona and the Santa Ana track in Naic, both in Cavite - constructed on a 45-hectare lot by renowned Singaporean racetrack builder K.K. Kumar. The racetrack is 1,525-meter long and has 4 chutes. Dr. Norberto Quisumbing, owns Metro Turf. 46 lighting posts—39 around the oval and 7 attached to the grandstand with General Electric technology and United Tote, gaming totalizator, with wide-screen LED televisions - Metro Turf can be accessed through the main entrance at the President J.P. Laurel Highway in Malvar. New racetrack to open in Batangas January 19, 2013 -- Malvar, Batangas [6] is a second class municipality in the Province of Batangas[7], Philippines. As of 2009, the population of Malvar was 41,270 and the total number of households was 8,678. The municipality was named after General Miguel Malvar[8], the last Filipino General to surrender to the American Government in the Philippines in 1902.[9] Geographical location: Batangas, Region 4, Philippines, Asia geographical coordinates: 14° 2' 41" North, 121° 9' 31" East [10] Coordinates: 14°1'55"N 121°8'42"E
context_page_description: Horseracing in the Philippines began as a recreational activity in 1867. Its history is divided into three major time periods based on the breed of horses raced, in conjunction with the three significant eras of Philippine history. According to the type of horses used, the periods are the Philippine-pony era, the Arabian-horse era, and the Thoroughbred era.
  The Philippine-pony era refers to the time when the Philippines was under Spanish control. At that time, racehorses were bred from the German, Persian, and Israeli lineages of the Classical period in Philippine history, 900–1521.
  The Arabian-horse refers to the time when the "American Philippines" were a territory of the United States, 1898–1946, although the Arabian-horse era only lasted until 1935.
  The Thoroughbred-era replaced the breeding of Arabian for horseracing with local breeds; the era continued when the Philippines became an independent republic in 1946.
context_section_description: In 2000, Executive Order No. 296 was signed by Philippine President Joseph Estrada to integrate the "personnel, programs and resources" of the National Stud Farm with other units and agencies managed by the Department of Agriculture. With this Order the Stud Book Division became the Stud Book and Animal Registry Division (SBARD), placing it under the control of the Bureau and Animal Industry (BAI). With the same Order, the Stud Book Division became the Stud Book Authority of the Philippines (SBAP).
  In 2001, three Japanese-owned thoroughbred horses bred in the Philippines were exported to Japan, and were proven to be of horseracing quality "at par" with racehorses bred in other countries.
  In 2003, the Philippine National Stud Book Division was transferred from the Department of Agriculture to the Philippine Racing Commission, a bureau that was directly under the control of the Office of the President of the Philippines. The executive order was approved by Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Also in 2003, the offices and racetrack of the MJCI were transferred to Carmona, Cavite at the San Lazaro Leisure Park (SLLP), a 77-hectare (190-acre) complex.
  In 2004, after the start of the transfer of personnel, programs, and other resources of the Stud Book Division to the Philippine Racing Commission, The Philippine Stud Book Volume III was published, recording the breeding activities of 676 Thoroughbred mares from 1999 until 2002. Also in 2004, the first MARHO Founders Cup (also known as the "Pearl Stakes") horseracing festival was started by the founders of MARHO to celebrate the organization's foundation.
  In 2005, Benhur C. Abalos became the leader of MARHO. Abalos and other members of MARHO took legal and police action against the activities of illegal bookmakers. The campaign would continue through 2006. Also in 2005, monitoring and eradication program for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) was made mandatory by PHILRACOM for all racehorses. Identification "passports" were also issued for all racehorses, including pedigrees, vaccination, laboratory test results, and other required information.
  Also during 2005 the MJCI developed a website featuring horseraces, tips, and results. In 2006, MJCI became the first horseracing club in the Philippines to provide horseracing information through text messaging, a program known as the Karera Info sa Text, with plans to introduce betting via text message.
  Also in 2006, the Blood Typing and Parentage Validation Program for racehorses was replaced by a DNA technology program. A microchip numbering program was additionally adopted in 2007 for foals that were born in 2005. Also in 2006, because of the International Agreement on Breeding, Racing and Wagering (IABRW), the Philippines became a signatory to significant articles published by International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in relation to racehorse breeding. On December 8, 2006, the San Lazaro Leisure Park Turf Club of the MJCI became the first "racino" in Asia. The casino gaming area, named as the Casino Filipino at San Lazaro, was on the top floor of the SLLP Turf Club.
  In 2008, the offices and Santa Ana racetrack of PRCI were transferred from Makati to the newly built Saddle and Clubs Leisure Park in Naic, Cavite.
caption: A sign at the Metro Manila Turf Club Race Track in Malvar and Tanauan City, Batangas, Philippines. This horseracing club opened in February 2013.
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