LAHORE, Jan 12: The overall progress, including the measures to uplift equine sports and installation of floodlights at the Racecourse, made during the last decade was reviewed at a meeting of the Lahore Race Club (LRC) stewards on Sunday.

The meeting was attended by stewards, members, prominent owners and trainers.

A written summary of the year-wise progress from 1997 to 2008 was presented at the meeting and later released to Dawn.

This was the first ever instance that such an exhaustive report was released by the LRC in its 84-year history.

The report revealed that during the first five years (1997-2002), a schedule of 70 to 92 days of racing was gone through a year with the five-year total of 430 race days.

Yearly at least 458 to 533 races were held with 2,522 in totality and Rs28.51 million to Rs33 million were awarded in stake-money.

The total prize-money awarded during these five years was Rs153.4 million and the total sponsorship received by the LRC amounted to Rs1.5 million.

In comparison, in the subsequent five years, which is the tenure of the present chairman, yearly 81 to 85 days of racing was held with the total of 396 race days in five years.

The number of races was between 487 to 541 yearly with the total touching at 2,613 in five years.

The prize money on offer was between Rs47.83 million to Rs51.46 million a year. The total prize-money awarded during the period under review was Rs281.3 million.

It was further revealed that the LRC received sponsorship worth Rs117.25 million in cash and Rs79.63 million in kind with the total arriving at Rs196.88 million.

The major contribution was made by the United Arab Emirates government which provided the LRC the set of starting gates worth Rs5.17 million, besides constructing a new block at a cost of Rs5 million.

The entire electrification of the Racecourse, fitted with most modern lighting system was also carried out by the UAE government at a cost of Rs25.75 million.