February 28, 2008	Thursday	Safar 20 ,1429

LAHORE, Feb 27: Fancied Al Ain, who finished second on his last outing, made amends by winning the season’s first race during the midweek Lahore Gymkhana races at the Racecourse on Wednesday.

The five-year-old chestnut horse, owned by UAE diplomat Ali Mohammad Al-Shamsi and looked after by Khawaja M. Arif, beat bay filly Total Price by a huge margin of eight lengths. Dimple and Black King completed the frame of 11 contestants in the class VI division IV handicap race, the third one in the racing order, gone over the sprinting distance of 1,100 metres.

Earlier in the first and feature event, Mr Gujrat led all the way home to pick up the spoils. He beat Raksh-e-Raqeeban by one and a quarter lengths while Umer Prince and Divine Jury completed the frame.

Dark bay filly Raksh-e-Raqeeban, who ran off the frame in her two previous runs, this time surprised the race goers by regaining quick form and finishing second, behind Mr Gujrat. The filly’s trainer Sohail Aziz must know some magic in bringing his charges suddenly back to form.

In the second event, the Lahore Race Club (LRC) stewards stopped the entry of the heavily-backed chestnut filly Gold Round for his unsatisfactory performance, finishing off the board.

Rank outsider Geo Bhakkar caused the biggest surprise by winning the fifth race.

The bay horse had a neck to spare over God’s Gift at the finishing line. Mah-e-Noor and Leader’s Wing completed the board in the 13-strong field.

The punters went through rough drubbing when only two favourites won in a card of seven events, all gone over the 1,100 metres distance.

The only favourites to oblige them were Mr Gujrat (80 to 100) and Al Ain (50 to 100) in the first and third race, respectively. The other winners were available at three to one to five to one. The stewards substituted over half a dozen riders at the starting gates in the seventh and last race. The race was, however, won by a five to two chance bay gelding Pure Power who powered his way to the winning post, defeating Kiss Of Love by half a length’s margin.

Trainer Rashid Latif had a good afternoon when he sent two winners — Geo Bhakkar and Miss Mano — in the fifth and sixth race.

The lesser lights among the riders — Hidayat Hussain, Ali Raza, M. Waseem and Munir Hussain — stole the limelight by winning a race each.

Results:

KAGHAN PLATE CLASS VI DIV I 1,100M:

Mr Gujrat (Mian Khan) 9-0 Hidayat Hussain 1, Raksh-e-Raqeeban 8-10 Khalil Vicky 2, Umer Prince 8-6 M. Hanif 3 and Divine Jury 8-0 Ali Reza 4.

Won by 1 ¼ L, 3 ¼ L, 8 L. Time one minute 12 3/5 seconds. Winner trained by Babar Bhatty.

KAGHAN PLATE CLASS VI DIV II 1,100M:

Ahsan The Great (Ashfaq Ahmad) 9-2 Sikander Khan 1, Big Choice 8-4 M. Zeeshan 2, Cleopatra 8-8 M. Waseem Khan 3 and Dream Act 8-11 Imran Parvaiz 4.

Won by 3 ¾ L, 3 L, 2 L. Time one minute 13 seconds. Winner trained by Qaiser.

KAGHAN PLATE CLASS VI DIV IV 1,100M:

Al Ain (Ali Mohammad Al-Shamsi) 8-2 A. Alam 1, Total Price 9-0 Tariq Habib 2, Dimple 7-8 Zameer 3 and Black King 8-4 M. Hussain 4.

Won by 8 L, 2 ¼ L, 4 L. Time one minute 13 1/5 seconds. Winner trained by Khadim Hussain.

KAGHAN PLATE CLASS VI DIV III 1,100M:

Arzoo (Mohammad Aslam) 9-0 Ali Raza 1, Tosca 9-0 Munir Ahmad 2, Regulation 8-0 Zameer 3 and Great Rhythm 8-10 Parvaiz Bhatty 4.

Won by ¾ L, 1 ½ L, 2 L. Time one minute 14 2/5 seconds. Winner trained by Shahzad Ali.

SUKKUR PLATE CLASS VII DIV I 1,100M:

Geo Bhakkar (Malik Basheer) 9-0 M. Jehangir 1, God’s Gift 9-0 S. Ammad 2, Mah-e-Noor 9-0 Saqib 3 and Leader’s Wing 9-0 Ali Raza 4.

Won by Neck, ¾ L, 3 L. Time one minute 16 seconds. Winner trained by Rashid Latif.

SUKKUR PLATE CLASS VII DIV II 1,100M:

Miss Mano (Haroon Ali) 8-0 M. Waseem 1, Rajwali 9-0 M. Akram 2, Rokra 8-8 Majid Ali 3 and Sana 7-10 Zameer 4.

Won by 2 L, 5 ½ L, 1 ¼ L. Time one minute 16 2/5 seconds. Winner trained by Rashid Latif.

SUKKUR PLATE CLASS VII DIV III 1,100M:

Pure Power (M.S. Butt) 8-2 Nasir Hussain 1, Kiss Of Love 7-12 Anjum 2, Shahbaz Love 8-2 Parvaiz Bhatty 3 and Ahsan Love 7-10 M. Jamil 4.

Won by ½ L, Neck, 1 L. Time one minute 17 4/5 seconds. Winner trained by S. Butt.