LAHORE, March 15: The most important event of the racing calendar, the Pakistan Derby 2003, to be run over a mile-and-a-half at the Lahore Racecourse on Sunday seems a contest between two colts, The Conqueror and Red Ransom.

This year’s Derby has six runners only, the lowest number ever recorded. Among them, The Conqueror and Red Ransom are the in-form four year-olds and confirmed stayers.

 A race for four-year-old country bred colts and fillies, the winner’s purse this year is the highest-ever worth rupees 500,000 alongwith a gold cup.

 The colts and fillies finishing second, third and fourth will fetch for their owners rupees 200,000, rupees 100,000 and rupees 50000, respectively.

Bay colt The Conqueror, owned by Syed Tasweer Hussain Shah, had enhanced his Derby prospects winning the Derby Trials run over 2000m on February 16 last.

This colt from Polineso out-of-Nigh Pealn, the Conqueror has so far won six races on his nine starts and was placed twice. He had stretched his unbeaten record to four with Derby Trials victory over Red Ransom by one- and-a-half lengths.

Red Ransom, a son of Dexter out-of-Raba Riba owned by Sohrab Khan, has won three races in his dozen outings and placed second thrice. The other four runners, two colts Royal Falcon and Paddock Fancy and tw o fillies Democracy and Red Storm are also tracking well but not sure to stay the gruelling distance.

Of the four on classification Democracy looks better.

Although not a single race stands an ideal trial but in-form runners generally hold sway. And both The Conqueror and Red Ranson are the real in-form ones.

The former will be ridden by jockey Shahid Rehman and the later by jockey Aamar Parvez. The Derby will be the sixth race in racing order.

There will be cups galore when a card of eight events with six cup races will be decided in the afternoon.

The main supporting event, the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup, a term race for four-year-old and above in class I, II and III over a mile-and-a-quarter has ten runners barring last-minute withdrawals.

 Of them four come into reckoning. They are: King Fisher, Feel The Freedom, Son Of A Gun and Miracle. The first two named come from the yard of leading owner of Lahore Sohrab Khan. The four should fight it closely with Sohrab’s entries edging ahead.

Yet another supporting event, the Breeders Cup, a term race for three-year-old to be contested over the sprinting distance of 1200 metres, has eight acceptors , if there are no last-minute withdrawals.

 By virtue of her performance, Fair Play, the brilliant daughter of Re Play out-of-Lust For Love, is a better performer among her seven rivals.

Blu’s Traveller and Theatre’s Breeze may pose her a good resistance before bowing out.

The other cup events are the Stewards Cup and the Lahore Race Club Cup.

Because of Muharram-ul-Haram, the Trick Riding event has been deleted from the Derby Day programme. The first race will be held at 12.30 pm.

Following are the fields and our selections; The names of probable riders are given in brackets.

LAHORE RACE CLUB PLATE CLASS V DIV II 1200M: