May 18, 2003	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 15, 1424

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KARACHI, May 17: Jugni, the three-year-old chestnut filly will be going all out to present owner M.R. Hussain with her fourth successive victory, when the Summer Gymkhana Meeting gets under way at the Karachi Racecourse on Sunday.

Participating in the last event on the racing programme, the Strides By Strides - Without Fear thoroughbred sibling, won her last encounter beating Bold Commander and Donatello by seven lengths while clocking one minute 3 2/5 seconds over the five furlong journey.

Although carrying eleven pounds more than Bold Commander on Sunday, Jugni with stable jockey Tariq Mehmood in the saddle, has the speed and with improvement in every outing, should not let her large band of supporters down in the field consisting of nine runners.

Bold Commander and Donatello will once again battle it out for the second spot.

All in all, eight events have been chalked up, all to be contested over the sprinting distance of five furlongs. The first race begins at 1.00 p.m.

Another runner that should not lose on Sunday is Shoukat Awan’s thoroughbred bay filly Shama, engaged in the sixth race from champion trainer Taj Mohammad’s yard.

Making an appearance on the racing track after an absence of over four months, Shama ran a magnificent race last week, losing in her last strides to the chestnut colt Strike The Gold by half a length.

Shama is now penalised to carry four more pounds on her back, but this should not hamper her from winning from another speedster Neelam Taab and stable companion Ever Shine.

In the opener, Mrs. Yasmin K. Khan’s thoroughbred bay Dauntless, looks a good thing to win this race with seven runners in contention. Lawrence Of Arabia having Kashif Ali in the saddle last time out, finished disappointingly off the board, but if ticking now should pick up the second spot.

Last week, the roan High Speed with riding boy Naveed astride, was backed heavily for a win and place chance by the racing fans.

Sadly with the knowledge of the higher ups and Naveed showing no interest in the race, High Speed finished a miserable fourth behind Eye Catcher, Rukhsar and Mera Sulman.

High Speed should gallop home to victory in the second race, followed by Rukhsar and Splendid Winner, unless Grey Boy decides to upset the apple cart.

Canon Again and Savero should be engaged in a keen tussle for the spoils in the third race, with Eye Catcher, after two splendid wins and Rich Valiant battling it out for the third spot.

Rahat Sultan’s bay horse Khas Ul Khas ridden by Imamdin won his five furlong sprint last week from Canon Again and Ustadon Ka Ustad, without raising much of a sweat.

Khas Ul Khas could do the trick again, passing the winning post ahead of Sweet Grandy, Just in Fun and Bank Manager in the next race. However, danger lurks in the shadows in the likes of the nine-year-old bay gelding Sajan Black. Two weeks ago, the bay horse Robalto Carloes Fan after coming under heavy backing, was pulled hook, line and sinker by the rider, to enable the connections other contender in the race Sonia, grab the third berth behind Shah Khan and Maha Sagar. Robalto Carloes Fan coming in with a thundering burst finished fourth, after the race was practically won by Shah Khan.

Robalto Carloes Fan is now running on Sunday in the fifth event with 18 runners in contention. With the Stewards keeping a sharp vigilance on this horse, Robalto Carloes Fan after many previous antics, should win this race hands down, with Sapno Ki Rani and Khan Baba following in his wake.

In the seventh race of the afternoon, Irfan Mehdi’s chestnut colt Defence Academy after his splendid victory over the two thoroughbreds High Standard and Mickey Mikado II when they last met, could repeat that feat over his old rivals again, with jockey Arshad once again in the saddle.

Following is the field and our selections:

SIBI PLATE CLASS IX DIV G-V 5F

Dauntless 9-0, Major Dandy 8-13, Law Of Nature 8-12, Lawrence Of Arabia 8-11, Black Gift 8-11, Millennium Era 8-4 and Super Boy 7-11.

Win: Dauntless

Place: Lawrence Of Arabia.

SIBI PLATE CLASS IX DIV G-IV 5F

High Speed 9-2, Silent Fire 9-1, Daru 8-12, Grey Boy 8-12, Yaqoob Choice 8-12, Rukhsar 8-10, Clever Cat 8-4, Splendid Winner 8-3, Even Top 8-3, Baby Tabassum 8-0, Venus Arrow 8-0, Raysham 8-0, Royal Honest 7-11 and Much Better 7-10.

Win: High Speed

Place: Rukhsar & Splendid Winner.

Upset: Grey Boy

SIBI PLATE CLASS IX DIV G-III 5F

Bang Man 9-0, Silver City 9-0, Pearl 8-12, Canon Again 8-11, Eye Catcher 8-10, Little Sunny 8-10, Savero 8-9, Your Opinion 8-9, Rich Valiant 8-8, Lucky Lover 8-8, Afzaal Prince 8-8, Sone Pari 8-7, Prism Of Life 8-6, Dr. Dre 8-6, Bye Bye 8-0, Noble Princess 7-13, Gold Dawn 7-13 and Your Pleasure 7-12.

Win: Canon Again

Place: Savero & Eye Catcher.

Upset: Dr. Dre.

SIBI PLATE CLASS IX DIV G-II 5F

Sweet Grandy 9-2, Payal 9-0, Jiyo 9-0, Sajan Black 8-12, Khas Ul Khas 8-6, Bank Manager 8-5, Just In Fun 8-4, Trust You 8-3, Mark 8-0, Waqas Aiya 8-0, Thousand Up 7-13, Touch Of Joy 7-13, National Lining 7-11 and Visitor 7-11.

Win: Khas Ul Khas

Place: Sweet Grandy & Just In Fun.

Upset: Sajan Black.

SIBI PLATE CLASS IX DIV G-I 5F

Black Magic 9-0, The Shoaib 8-12, Khan Baba 8-9, Sapno Ki Rani 8-8, Rajwar 8-8, Robalto Carlos Fan 8-8, Maha Sagar 8-7, Pehlwan Choice 8-6, Prosmatic 8-6, Power Plus 8-6, Son Of None 8-5, McGrath 8-5, One Touch 8-4, Bull Dancer 8-1, Sonia 8-1, Nawab 8-0, Ceaser’s Palace 7-13 and Burning Sky 7-12.

Win: Robalto Carlos Fan

Place: Sapno Ki Rani & Khan Baba.

SIBI PLATE CLASS IX DIV VII 5F

Shama 9-2, Wonder Thunder 8-12, Royal Lancer 8-11, Love Land 8-9, Knight Fighter 8-8, Mera Jugnoo 8-8, Only For You 8-8, Al Chemey 8-8, Deniro 8-6, Reliable 8-5, Neelam Taab 8-4, Flying Bird 8-3, Shamsul Queen 8-3, Go Go Golden 8-2, Ever Shine 8-0, Lovely Concept 8-0, Recent Command 7-13 and Your Honour 7-11.

Win: Shama

Place: Neelam Taab & Ever Shine.

SIBI PLATE CLASS IX DIV V & VI 5F

High Standard 9-4, Guarantee 9-3, Captain Crash 8-13, Real Gift (Late Strategic) 8-11, Defence Academy 8-10, Micky Mikado II 8-7, Order Of The Day 8-5, Sarazan 8-4, Mubashir Prince 8-2, Blue’s Night 7-13, Triple Crown 7-6, Maha Raja 7-6 and Inferno 7-6.

Win: Defence Academy

Place: High Standard & Mickey Mikado II.

SIBI PLATE CLASS IX DIV I, II, III & IV 5F

Sweet Touch 10-2, Charkh Bareen 9-7, Al Capone 9-4, Jugni 8-13, Dur-e-Yaman 8-4, Bold Commander 8-2, Donatello 8-2, Mega Hit 7-12 and Shab-e-Noor 7-7.

Win: Jugni

Place: Bold Commander & Donatello.

DAY’S BEST: Jugni

GOOD DOUBLE: High Speed - Robalto Carlos Fan.