July 10, 2007	Tuesday	Jamadi-us-Sani 24, 1428

LAHORE, July 9: Long shot bay mare, Royal Destiny put up a splendid show when she came from behind to win the feature event run over 1100m during the day/night Lahore Summer Meeting at the Racecourse on Sunday.

Trained by Haji Fazal Hadi, the winner beat the filly Jung Frau installed at 60 to 100 favourite by five lengths to lift the Sialkot Plate, a class V division I handicap event.

Earlier four acceptors were withdrawn from the race, namely, Hallow Dancer, Batista, Amazing Boy and Run And Win leaving eight starters. The Lahore Race Club (LRC) stewards in a timely move had changed the rider of Royal Destiny at the starting gates. The riding boy Khalid substituted M. Waseem and the change saw the mare winning easily under the changed rider.

Jung Frau, is owned by Raja Khushbakht-ur-Rehman, a former LRC steward .

As tipped in these columns, the odds-on favourite filly, Bold Act outclassed her 17 rivals to win the fourth event gone over 900m. She beat chestnut First Dream by two-and-a-half lengths on tight reins.

The supporting and fifth race, The Sialkot Plate, class V division II over 1100m was won by neglected Magic Stone, in a run away style. She beat well-backed Billoo The Great by about two lengths. Billoo The Great was slow to take the start and had to struggle hard to finish second in a race run over fast pace. The even became open affair after the last-minute withdrawal of the gelding Perfect Promise and the filly Houstan, who were expected to fight it out for supremacy in this race.

In the third race bay filly Sapna and the bay mare Pretty Princess got equal support in the betting ring with odds fluctuating at short intervals before the race.

Surprisingly Pretty Prince put up a very dismal show finishing fifth and that too under jockey M. Zeeshan, a blue-eyed boy of some LRC stewards.

The punters had a rough day on Sunday when only two favourites-Sapna and Bold Act-in the third and fourth race obliged them in a card of six events.The other events were lifteb by long shots getting minimal support in the setting ring. They were: 6 to 1 Mosaic, 3 to 1 Dogar Gift, 4 to 1 Magic Stone and 5 to 1 Royal Destiny, in the 1st, 2nd, 5th and 6th race, respectively.

Jockey Shahid Rehman, was the only rider to score a double. He rode home Sapna and Bold Act.

Meanwhile the LRC has extended the Lahore Summer Meetings till Aug 26 and has issued prospectus for these meetings to be held under the “open handicap” system. Under the “open handicap” system, the horses taking part in Summer Meeting, will be reverted back to their July 1st handicap figures, irrespective of what position they have attained and gone up.

But those sliding downwards will remain as and where they are. Races will be held on Sundays, a notification issued by the LRC said.

However, in view of the financial position of the club the stake-money to be awarded to the winners, second and third placed horses has been reduced by about 15 per cent, which is a bonus bonanza for the horse owners fit enough to win.

The LRC will hold a special meeting on Aug 12 as part of the celebrations of the Independence Day. Indendence Day Cup and the Jashne Azadi Cup events will be the highlights of the day's racing.

The next Lahore Summer Meeting is scheduled for Sunday (July 15).

Results:

PASRUR PLATE CLASS VII

DIV IV 900M:

Mosaic (Aamir Azad) 8-0 Naseer Ahmad 1, Miss Mano 9-0 A. Alam 2, Rose 8-2 Sikander Khan 3 and Prema Dona 8-6 Khalid 4.

Won by 1 L, Neck, Distance. Time 59 1/5 secs. Winner trained by the owner.

PASRUR PLATE CLASS VII

DIV III 900M:

Dogar Gift (Zaheer Aslam) 7-8 Javed Iqbal 1, My Shanga 9-0 Azam Hussain 2, Black King 7-4 M. Zeeshan 3 and Issabella 8-10 Khalil Vicky 4.

Won by 5 1/2 L, 1 3/4 L, 2 3/4 L. Time 58 1/5 secs. Winner trained by Tauqeer Ahmad.

PASRUR PLATE CLASS VII DIV II 900M:

Sapna ( Latif Butt) 8-4 Shahid Rehman 1, Stride To Moment 8-4 Shakeel Mahmood 2, Lucky Coin 7-4 Sajjad Hussain 3 andGrace Glamour 7-10 Ali Raza 4.

Won by 4 1/2 L, 2 3/4 L, 1/2 L. Time 56 3/5 secs. Winner trained by Rashid Latif.

PASRUR PLATE CLASS VII DIV I 900M:

Bold Act (Hamza Khan) 9-0 Shahid Rehman 1, First Dream 7-4 Sajjad Hussain 2,Shah Pari 8-2 Tariq Habib 3 and Blu's Wendy 8-2 Saqib 4.

Won by 2 1/2 L, 3 L, 1 1/2 L. Time 56 3/5 secs. Winner trained by Mian Abdul Majeed.

SIALKOT PLATE CLASS V DIV II 1100M:

Magic Stone (Shahid Mahmood) 8-4 Shakeel Mahmood 1, Billoo The Great 8-4 Atif Javaid 2, Hamza Prince 8-2 M. Waseem Khan 3 and Princess Adaq 8-2 Ali Raza 4.

Won by 1 3/4 L, 3/4 L, 1 L. Time one min 11 secs. Winner trained by Sohail Aziz.

SIALKOT PLATE CLASS V DIV II 1100M:

Royal Destiny (Makhdoom Syed Ali Raza) 8-0 Khalid 1, Jung Frau 9-0 A. Imran 2, Volcano 8-0 Sajjad Hussain 3 and Prince Salman 9-0 Anjum 4.

Won by 5 L, 4 L, 5 1/2 L. Time one min 10 1/5 secs. Winner trained by Haji Fazal Hadi.