Winning the Gold Cup remains a dream come true for the trio of jockey, trainer, and owner. —Fahim Siddiqui/White Star

Thanks to the Karachi Race Club (KRC), horse racing, long considered the king’s sport, is flourishing in Karachi. Every Sunday, race connoisseurs overcome traffic hazards and reach the KRC before noon to back their favourite horses.

The KRC will celebrate its centenary three years from now. The old race course, which was located behind Cantt Station, came into being in 1913, during British rule. Soon after Partition, horse racing was revived by an elite group at that venue. The KRC was moved to the existing premises on University Road in 1989, after the government leased 245 acres of land for 99 years, including 8.5 acres that were eventually handed over to the KRC.

In 1948, the prestigious Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup was launched by the KRC. Since then, it has come a long way and been tagged as a blue-ribbon event. According to records, a horse named Misdemeanour won the inaugural Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup run over a distance of nine furlongs. Winning this trophy remains a dream come true for the trio of jockey, trainer, and owner.

Prominent politician Shah Mardan Shah Pir Pagara, who has a passion for horse racing, is a regular visitor at the KRC. His association with the sport is over four decades old and he currently boasts ownership of more than 35 active horses that dominate the weekly races. Not surprisingly, he has been winning The Best Owner of the Year award since 2003. Other notable owners include Ismail Shah, Haji Khuda Bux Rajar, Irfan Mehdi, and Faisal Farooq.

Some 451 members – 286 ordinary and 165 lifetime members – are enrolled with the KRC. The club is run by a managing committee, currently headed by MNA Syed Sadruddin Shah and a former federal commerce secretary Kamal Afsar. They were unanimously elected president and chairman, respectively, in elections held on Dec. 15, 2008, for a one-year term. These elections were the first in five years and have paved the way for an elected body to circumvent the culture of adhocism that plagued the club.

Apart from owners and punters, bookies and turf accountants play a vital role in sustaining horse racing going and generating income for the KRC. Despite interest in the sport, the number of bookies appearing at races has reduced from about 25 several years ago to between 12 and 14. For that, and other, reasons, the KRC suffers a monthly loss of approximately 0.6 million rupees. The new managing committee has, however, vowed to improve the standard of races and adopt measures to overcome the financial crisis.

Holding fair races will probably be the key to the KRC’s success. If the integrity of horse racing is established, it will attract bookies and punters alike and bring prosperity to the country’s premier horse racing institution in the days to come.