February 26, 2008	Tuesday	Safar 18, 1429

LAHORE, Feb 25: The Lahore Race Club (LRC) stewards have not accepted the late entries of a filly from Karachi and that of a Lahore colt to run in the Pakistan Derby at the Lahore Racecourse on March 2.

A meeting of the stewards presided over by LRC chairman Tariq Aziz rejected the applications of the owners of Fantastic Baby, Kamal Farooq and of Desert Prince, jointly owned by Mirza Khurshid Baig and Zaheer Aslam, who had requested for the same. They had expressed their willingness to pay a fine up to rupees two lac (Rs 2,00,000) for each of the contestants.

Zaheer Aslam had told Dawn that he had already deposited the amount with the club before submitting the application. He had cited examples of cases in which late entries were accepted by the LRC.

The colt or filly took part in the race in the past. Most recent example was that of Keen Winner, whose owner had paid rupees 50,000 at that time. The owners had pleaded that somehow or the other, they failed to submit entries within the prescribed date, due to trainer or agent’s negligence.

When contacted, LRC chairman Tariq Aziz said the decision had been taken in principle, that if the entry of a colt or filly is not submitted within the prescribed period of time, they stand ineligible to run in this prestigious event of the country’s four-year-old colts and fillies.

The Derby race all over the racing world is regarded as a cherished annual event of the turf calendar which is mark of elegance and grandeur.

A race run over a long distance of 2,400 metres, it carries bumper prize-money. That was the reason that the owner of Desert Prince had expressed his willingness to pay as high an amount as rupees two lac as penalty although on paper the colt stood no chance whatsoever. He finished third in the Pakistan Derby Trials run over 2,000 metres as Fantastic Baby ran off the frame.

The probable Derby runners are: Janu Manu, Fair Diamond, Royal Tradition, Lucifer, Headingly, Mythical, Brave Act, Handsome Hope, Kiss Of Luck, Princess Of Gujrat, Diamond In Dust, Honey Gal and Baker view.

Messrs Tariq Aziz and Sohrab Khan have fielded two contestants each.

The former has not yet won a Derby although three of his contenders had the credit of finishing second in this prestigious event. The latter is far luckier in this respect and his filly Brave Act is the pre-Derby favourite with a chance to add one more feather in the cap.