KARACHI, May 22: A. Aziz a promising young jockey from Lahore, rode home a brace of winners and later was warned off from the Karachi Race Course by the Administration, after his poor performance in the saddle on the bay horse Snake River in the sixth event of the Winter Gymkhana Race Meeting held on Sunday afternoon at the Karachi Racecourse.
After finishing third on a rank outsider Quite Arrival in the second event, Aziz riding the bay thoroughbred filly Hassena–e-Arab, finished second behind the favourite Silent Angel in the fourth. In the fifth race, Aziz scored his afternoon’s first winner when Arab-e-Arab beat the raging favourite Leopard by three and half lengths.
In the next race he was riding Snake River, a bay horse owned and trained by M.Yaqoob Butt. The horse was backed in the betting ring for a song for a win and place chance. Looking back on his last performance three weeks ago, Snake River finished half a length behind the winner Noor-e-Arab.
The winner was clocked at one minute 4 4/5 second going over five furlongs. Taking this in consideration, Snake River was indeed a cinch to win his five furlong encounter on Sunday.
But after running second the horse faded out and finished a miserable fourth, five and half lengths behind the winner Jan-e-Arab.
The racing fans shocked out of their wits shouted for the race to be cancelled, but their screaming and shouting only fell on deaf ears. A few heads had to roll and Faiz was called up by the Administrator for an explanation as to how Snake River ran so poorly.
Anyway Aziz was allowed to continue his participation in the race meeting.
In the seventh race he finished off the board on Murtaza Hussain’s bay colt Hip Hop Hunk, but upset the applecart in the last event by winning on Syed Hassan Ali’s bay colt Sculptor in a start to finish bid, beating the favourite Donatello, finishing a bad fourth and two other fancied runners Killer Instincts, finishing second and Birj-ul-Arab finishing third.
Aziz was indeed delighted to register his second winner of the afternoon, adding to the four other winners he has ridden over here since his arrival from Lahore. But the poor lad was in for a shock. He had his licence revoked and warned off from racing over here.
Before the Administrator made his decision he should have investigated more into the case.
Whenever Snake River runs and is on song for a win or place chance, the horse goes out with silver plates. I am afraid to state Snake River never had on silver plates on Sunday.
Now one is deemed to ask who is actually the culprit responsible for not allowing Snake River to run on merit.
The first race on the afternoon’s programme was won by Silver Sweet with M. Wasim aboard, beating Super Time quite easily.
Lucky Seven never let down his band of followers romping home to victory in the next event, followed by Jaguar, Quite Arrival and Golden Copy.
Following were the results:
LAILA PLATE CLASS VII DIV V & VI 5F
Silver Sweet (Mr. Hanifullah Khan) 7-10 M. Wasim II 1, Super Time 8-7 M. Amjad 2, Roop Ki Rani 8-11 Sohail Ahmed 3, Royal Wisdom 8-8 M. Manzoor 4.
Won by 6 1/2L, Neck, 1 1/2L. Time 1 min 6 3/5 sec. Winner trained by Ghulam Murtaza.
LAILA PLATE CLASS VII DIV IV-B 5F
Lucky Seven (Qazi Asif) 8-5 M. Akram 1, Jaguar 8-11 Mohammad Ismail 2, Quite Arrival 7-11 A.Aziz 3, Golden Copy 7-5 M. Aslam 4.
Won by 7 1/2L, 9L, Neck. Time 1 min 6 3/5 sec. Winner trained by S. Shoukat Ali.
LAILA PLATE CLASS VII DIV IV-A
Crysler (Syed Ali Razi) 8-10 M. Kashif 1, Raaz 8-3 Maroof Alam 2, Gold Disc 9-1 M. Amjad 3, Street Fighter 8-7 Sohail Ahmed 4.
Won by 1 1/4L, 1L, 2 1/4L. Time 1 min 7 1/5 sec. Winner trained by Razzak.
LAILA PLATE CLASS VII DIV III 5F
Silent Angel (Haji Khuda Bux Rajar) 8-13 Ghulam Shabbir II 1, Haseena-e-Arab 8-9 A. Aziz 2, Run and Pray 8-3 Zaki Zakar 3, Casanova 8-9 Arif Nazir 4.
Won by 8 1/2L, 12L, 9 1/2L. Time 1 min 3 3/5 sec. Winner trained by Mushtaq Ali Khan.
LAILA PLATE CLASS VII DIV II 5F
Arab Hi Arab (Mr. Imran Ahmed) A. Aziz 1, Leopard 8-13 M. Nasir 2, Sonia 9-1 Nisar Ahmed 3, Arabian Queen 8-8 Arif Nazir 4.
Won by 3 1/2L, 5l, 1 3/4l. Time 1 min 4 sec. Winner trained by Ghulam Channa.
LAILA PLATE CLASS VII DIV I 5F
Jan-e-Arab (Syed Nadeem Anwar) 8-0 M. Manzoor 1, Queen Of Sanghar 8-0 Faiz Mohammad 2, Summer Wine 8-12 Waheed Baran 3, Snake River 9-0 A. Aziz 4.
Won by 3L, Head, 2 1/2L. Time 1 min 5 4/5 sec. Winner trained by Ghulam Channa.
FINE PLATE CLASS VI 6F
Sure Footed (Mr. Irfan Mehdi) 8-7 Saif Mohammad 1, Fakhr-e-Sanghar 8-7 M. Nasir 2, Bahar-e-Arab 9-0 Ghulam Shabbir II 3, Prime Panther 8-4 Nasim Ahmed 4.
Won by 1 1 /4L, Neck, 1/2L. Time 1 min 18 3/5 sec. Winner trained by Karim Bachoo.
PAYAL PLATE CLASS V DIV I & II 6F
Sculptor (Syed Hassan Ali) 8-0 A. Aziz 1, Killer Instincts 8-13 Ghulam Shabbir II 2, Birj-ul-Arab 8-5 M. Manzoor 3, Donatello 8-5 Faisal Ali 4.
Won by 1 1 /4L, 5L, 4 12L. Time 1 min 17 1/5 sec. Winner trained by Abid Ali Jan.