September 23, 2008	Tuesday	Ramazan 22, 1429

LAHORE, Sept 22: The three and four-year-old Pakistani thoroughbreds have fully justified themselves as a vintage crop by their performances during the recently ended Lahore Winter/ Summer Meetings held from September last year to August this year.

In 47 meetings during the period, over three-dozen colts and fillies put up spectacular display of their speed, stamina and courage while jostling for supremacy.

They not only impressed race-goers but also encouraged their owners and breeders by their splendid show of wonderful acceleration to prevail over their opponents.

The best performer of the racing calendar 2007-08 was Sohrab Khan’s four-year-old filly, Brave Act, who won the Pakistan Derby 2008.

Prior to this the wonder filly had also triumphed in the 1,000 Guineas Of Pakistan and the Pakistan Debt Trials, a feat never performed by any filly or colt in the Pakistan turf history.

She is rightly the claimant of the ‘Horse of the Year’ award.

Brave Act stumbled during a race while competing against imported thoroughbreds and fell sustaining injury and has not run since then.

Filly Dixie, owned by Malik Hamid Ali Noon and trained by Haji Fazal Hadi, was on top of the three-year-old performers. She won triple honour by landing the Anarkali Cup, the Bin Qasim Cup and the National Breeders Cup.

Four sires have emerged as the most prolific in respect of feats accomplished by their progeny. They are: Fair Play, Putra, Bedouin Invader and Baker’s Gate.

Among the trainers, the fortune of Sohail Aziz was high. He sent out the highest number of winners and won the trainer’s championship by a big margin.

Jockey Shahid Rehman, who has a magic whip for which he is the most sought-after rider, won the jockeys’ championship.

Three owners, Khawaja M. Arif, Sohrab Khan and Malik Hamid Ali Noon excelled among the owners. They are the envy of other owners.—A.G.