KARACHI, July 28: The followers of form burnt their fingers at the Karachi Summer meeting when form horses were either withdrawn on Sunday morning or form horses were blatantly hooked by their respective riders to make the things worse.

On Sunday morning Royal Beauty from the second race. Fizza from the fourth race and Royal Falcon from the sixth race were withdrawn. All of them looked certain winners.

To add to the misery of the race goers Jack Pot, who was a racing certainty in the sixth race, was backed by the followers of form at the prohibitive odds of 15 to 100 on and 20 to 100 on but he was most blatantly hooked by his rider Shahzad, the blue eyed boy of the Chairman of the Karachi Race Club. He was nosed out by Kiev who in her life will ever even dream of beating Jack Pot.

It was most surprising that Shahzad was not even called up to explain his conduct. In the straight, Shahzad strangulated his mount all along in the straight. If the Stewards thinks that Shahzad put in his best they are sadly mistaken. Anybody could see Shahzad not allowing his charge. On his performance, Shahzad should have been sent off the race club for at least six months. And if the steward think that he was genuinely beaten, Shahzad should be sent for a six-month refresher course. He just should not be allowed to continue racing in Karachi.

Now it has become, order of the day when firm favourites are pulled blatantly by the riders and they get scot free. Last Sunday Sarazen had met the same fate when Saif Mohammad did not allow him to run on merit after being backed at prohibitive odds.

If the Karachi Race Club, is least interested in improving the racing, they should install totalisators. One really cannot understand why the Karachi Race Club cannot have totalisator when it is functioning in Lahore. It can to great extent save the race goers from such broad day robbery which is being committed in Karachi.

Horse owners enter two horses in one race and the generally they go with the horse which is less fancied to pull a fast one on the followers of form. In the last Race, Mr Faisal Farooq entered two horses namely Deniro and Gissele. Deniro was the form horse having won in his last start but the connections backed Giselle whose manners at the agate are uncertain. The result was that Giselle was left when the gates opened and The Cleopatra won the race from neglected Sapno Ki Rani.

Besides, Shahzad, the riders who were guilty of not allowing their mounts to run on merit were Mujahid Ali astride Champion Lady and Tehseen Husain who was astride Knight Fighter.

One really does not know whether the Stipendiary Steward reported them or not. Whether he was called up by Stipendiary Steward or not the if the stewards had not closed their eyes they should have taken the action on their own. It appeared that the people sitting in the glass house had either not done their home work or turned their eyes with purpose. It is a million dollar question. This is not the way to conduct racing. The stewards will have to mend their ways or will be inviting some trouble sooner or later.

It is bound to create law and order situation if the people in the glass house think that they cannot do anything because racing is illegal, they are sadly mistaken. When the race goers pay entertainment tax and the Home Department of Sindh Government gets Rs. 20,000 every month and the cantonment board also gets its share, how one can explain whether racing is legal or illegal.

The next Gymkhana races will be held on Aug 4.

The following are the results:

MOMINA PLATE DIV G V — ABOUT 5F: