February 20, 2008	Wednesday	Safar 12, 1429

LAHORE, Feb 19: A card of seven competitive races has been drawn up for the midweek Lahore gymkhana races to be held at the Racecourse on Wednesday.

In all, 87 contestants are taking part in the events to be gone over the sprinting distance of 1,000 metres.

There are 14 runners in the feature event, the Mastung Plate class VI division I, barring last-minute withdrawals. Two of them, Raksh-e-Raqeeban and five-year-old mare Armida, belonging to the same stable, are the pick of the field.

Four-year-old filly Raksh-e-Raqeeban, who seems to be improving on each run, and who has already won two races in a row would be on the trot to complete a hat-trick of victories.

Armida, although not as consistent, is known to find a good going on the dirt track on which the gymkhana races are normally held. The first race of the day will also have Little Smile and Billoo The Great fighting for the places.

Gold Round, Big Choice and Dam Dama Dam look good for the fifth and supporting event, the Mastung Plate class VI division I and II. Gold Round, who registered a facile victory last week, is quite capable of repeating the performance. The others should prove their worth as challengers.

The quartet of So Romantic, Great Rhythm, Bandgi and Victory King make the second supporting event, the Mastung Plate Class VI division III, an open affair to be contested by 14 runners. Seeing their recent form, Great Rhythm is the best of the four to run in the fourth race of the day.

If there are no last-minute withdrawals, Arzoo, Al Ain, Mah-e-Noor and Black King are the pick of the 14 strong field of sprinters in the Mastung Plate class VI division IV race. However, the main contest should be between Arzoo and Al Ain in this third race on the day’s card.

The second, sixth and seventh race comprises horses belonging to the different divisions in class VII. These comprise runners, who are not consistent performers and rarely go up.

The backers are in for some thrills or anxious moments.

The first race will be held at 1.00pm.

The following are the fields and our selections.

MASTUNG PLATE CLASS VI

DIV I 1,000M:

Raksh-e-Raqeeban 9-0, Weldon 9-0, Athena 9-0, Freeze 9-0, Rania 9-0, Sun Downer 9-0, Armida 8-11, Super Sonic 8-10, Golden Road 8-10, Billo The Great 8-8, Safari 8-6, Little Smile 8-5, Jageerdarni 8-2 and Dream Prince 8-2.

Win: Raksh-e-Raqeeban. Place: Supersonic and Little Smile.

CHAMAN PLATE CLASS VII

DIV I 1,000M:

Touching Wood 9-0, Pretty 9-0, Red Baron 9-0, Leader’s Wing 8-12, Best Owner 8-10, Geo 8-10, Bioactive 8-6 and Alpha Juliet 8-6.

Win: Geo. Place: Bioactive and Leader’s Wing.

MASTUNG PLATE CLASS VI

DIV IV 1,000M:

Arzoo 9-0, Black King 9-0, Al Dar 8-10, Grey Dancer 8-10, Chocolate Boy 8-8, Al Ain 8-4, Scented Dust 8-4, Better Time 8-4, Aya Murad 8-4, Geo Bhakkar 7-12, Gold Dust 7-12, Dogar Gift 7-12, Mah-e-Noor 7-10 and Dimple 7-10.

Win: Al Ain. Place: Black King and Arzoo.

MASTUNG PLATE CLASS VI

DIV III 1,000M:

So Romantic 9-0, Sun Shine 9-0, Rang Dey Basanti 9-0, Look My Luck 9-0, Red Fairy 8-12, Great Rhythm 8-10, Regulation 8-6, Mama Mia 8-5, Pick Of The Day 8-4, Victory King 8-2, Pearly City 7-10, Lucky Coin 7-6 and Bandgi 7-6.

Win: Great Rhythm. Places: So Romantic and Victory King.

MASTUNG PLATE CLASS VI

DIV I & II 1,000M:

Cleopatra 9-0, Pumey De Jan 9-0, Babbu The Great 9-0, Dream Act 9-0, Victory Gallop 8-12, Gold round 8-10, Big Power 8-8, Big Choice 8-2 and Dam Dama Dam 8-2.

Win: Gold Round. Place: Big Choice and Dream Act.

CHAMAN PLATE CLASS VII

DIV II 1,000M:

Silent Assassin 9-0, Taqdeer-e-Bhakkar 8-10, Rokra 8-6, Anarkali 8-6, Aman 8-6, Mere Lal 8-2, Sia Prinda 8-2, Little Love 8-2, Summaya 7-12, Muskan 7-12, Waqas prince 7-10 and Sana 7-10.

Win: Mere Lal. Place: Rokra and Waqas Prince.

CHAMAN PLATE CLASS VII

DIV III 1,000M:

Naseer Love 9-0, Golden Pari 8-10, Tarrar Choice 8-10, Shna Murad 8-10, Trigger Happy 8-10, Bilal Love 8-4, Sohni Bulbul 8-4, Cash Deposit 8-4, Sohna Noor 8-2, Bagh-o-Bahar 8-2, Lal Pari 8-2, Hit Song 8-2, Pukkar 7-10, Kashif Da Gulshan 7-10, Ahsan Love 7-10 and Kiss Of Love 7-10.

Win: Lal Pari. Place: Sohna Murad and Bagh-o-Bahar.