LAHORE,  April 9: Bay mare Iram State romped home an easy winner in the feature event of the Lahore Gymkhana races at the Racecourse on Wednesday.

Backed at three to one by connections Iram State outpaced  60 to 100 favourite White Line by five lengths. Blue Stone was third, another one-and-a-half lengths back with Son Of Gold fourth, about three lengths further behind.

In all, 13 ran for the fifth and last race of the day in which the winner clocked one minute 2 4/5 seconds over the dust track.

Dark-bay Time To Lead sprang a big surprise in the third race when he nosed out Brown Bomber at the finishing post. Las Pal Mas finished third by a whisker while Tiger’s Wood  completed  the frame  among ten runners.

Odds-on favourite bay colt Rocket failed to click and ran off the frame. The Lahore Race Club (LRC) stewards  directed the LRC veterinary officer to take the blood samples of the colt for laboratory test to determine the cause of his dismal showing. Jockey Shahid Rehman rode Rocket.

Only two favourites obliged in five races contested over 1000 metres.

Three to one Blue Champion coasted home to an easy success in the opener. The chestnut outgalloped fancied grey Jashn by  one-and-a- half lengths. Joint favourite Royal Arrow failed to take level start and trailed the field far behind.

Fancied colt Super Land, who was beaten in his previous outing, made amends in the second race. He outclassed long shot Cranbrook Boy by four lengths. In all, ten ran after the last — minute withdrawal of Roccoco and Blessed.

Khan Bahadur, who claimed the fourth and supporting event, was the other favourite of the day to oblige favourite backers.

Riding boy M. Zeeshan stole the limelights as he steered home two winners, rank outsider Time To Lead and 3-1 Iram State.

Results:

Sahiwal Plate Class VII Division IV (B) 1000M:

Blue Champion (Junaid Anwar) 8-6 Azhar Hussain 1. Jashn 9-0 Javed Bashir 2. Pappa Jan 7-11 Shahzad Ahmad 3. Golden Time 8-9 M. Zeeshan 4.

Won by 1 1/2 L, 1 3/4 L, 3 1/2 L. Time one  minute  5  4/5 seconds. Winner trained privately by owner.

Sahiwal Plate Class VII Division IV (A) 1000M:

Super Land (Choudhry Mohammad  Afzal) 9-4 Mohsin Ali 1. Cranbrook Boy 8-13 Faisal 2. Silver Baby 9-1 M. Nawaz  (II) 3. Super Time 9-0 Waqas Sheikh 4.

Won by 4 L, 1 3/4 L, 2 1/4 L. Time one  minute 5 seconds. Winner trained by Azhar Ali.

Sahiwal Plate Class VII Division III 1000M:

Time To Lead (Nadir Ali Amin) 9-0 M. Zeeshan 1. Brown Bomber 7-12 Majid Khan 2. Las Pal Mas 7-10 A. Aziz 3. Tiger’s Wood  8-6 M. Hussain 4.

Won by Neck, Neck, 3 1/4 L. Time one minute 5 seconds. Winner trained privately by M. Shafiq.

Sahiwal Plate Class VII Division II 1000M:

Khan Bahadur (Haji Fazal Hadi) 8-10 M. Hussain 1. Lucky Credit Queen 8-11 A. Aziz 2. Win Dancer 8-4 Arshad 3. Knock First 9-0 M. A. Khan 4.

Sahiwal Plate Class VII Division I 1000M:

Tram State (Choudhry Farhat Miraj) 7-8 M. Zeeshan 1. White Line 7-7 Shahzad Ahmad 2. Blue Stone 9-0 Mujahid Ali (II) 3.  Sun Of Gold 8-8 Javed Iqbal 4.

Won by 5 L, 1 1/2 L, 2 3/4 L. Time one minute 2 4/5  seconds. Winner trained by Haji Amjad Ali.