Clasico attracts entries from six nations

CANOVANAS, PUERTO RICO -- For the 38th time the best thoroughbreds from nations that touch the Caribbean Sea will gather this Sunday for the $300,000 Clasico del Caribe at El Comandante Race Track, just outside Puerto Rico's capital city of San Juan.

The richest purse in the Caribbean, matching 3-year-olds at a mile-and-an-eighth, has attracted entries from six nations including Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Jamaica.

ESPN2's Wire-to-Wire will have a special recap on Tuesday at 2 p.m.ET.

Action gets underway on Saturday with several stakes races including the Sprint Cup and Lady of the Caribbean. The feature for older horses is the $100,000 Confraternity Cup with last year's Clasico winner, Panama's Spago, trying for the double. Only two horses have ever swept the Clasico and Confraternity Cup -- Verset Jet from Puerto Rico (1993-94) and Venezuela's My Own Business (2000-01).

The Jockey Challenge of the Caribbean that honors Puerto Rican jockey hero and Hall of Famer Angel Cordero, Jr., will also take place Saturday. Eight jockeys will be competing including: Luis E. Perez and Jesus M. Rios (Puerto Rico), Felix Salgado and Pedro Guevara (Panama), Alciro Castillo and Emisael Jaramillo (Venezuela), Isaias Cardenas (Mexico) and Joel Rosario (Dominican Republic).

A field of 11 is expected in the Clasico del Caribe on Sunday with a 5:25 p.m. local post time. Undefeated Dominican Republic star Excelencia headlines the main event. The 3-year-old bay colt is unbeaten in 14 career starts. Joel Rosario, the Dominican's leading jockey for the last four-years will be in the irons.

Panama, winner of the last two Clasico's and the series leader with 12 wins, will be represented by defending champ Bonaparte and will be ridden by Cornelio Velasquez.

Mexico, which ranks second overall in the series with 10 Clasico wins, also has two entered, Ruller Chief and Yack Lider. Yack Lider will be looking for his third straight win, fifth this year, and is expected to be one of the betting favorites. He will be ridden by last year's U.S. Eclipse award winning jockey, John Velasquez. Velasquez, a native of Carolina, Puerto Rico just set a new yearly earnings record for a jockey at over $23.3 million dollars, breaking the mark set by Jerry Bailey in 2003.

Host country Puerto Rico, with six Clasico victories, will have four in the starting gate led by filly Co Animadora. She will be ridden by the perennial leading jockey on the island, Juan Carlos Diaz..

Lionel Muller, President of the Confederation of Caribbean racing nations, is excited about this weekend's racing. "We are very honored to again be hosting the best thoroughbreds from our Caribbean nations. This is the sixth consecutive year that Puerto Rico has been the site of our greatest weekend of racing. The 38th Clasico could well be our best ever," Muller said.