LAHORE, Oct 9: The Lahore Race Club (LRC) stewards’ elections for the year 2013-14 will be unique in many ways in the club’s 89-year-old chequered history when it is once again fighting for survival.

Only ten members of the club, all sitting stewards, have filed their nomination papers for as many seats, and are naturally expected to be elected unopposed.

The elections, scheduled to be held on Oct 27, look just a formality and the day of a get-together of the members at the annual general meeting (AGM).

Tariq Aziz, the sitting LRC chairman, is also expected to be re-elected to the top slot for a record 12th consecutive year.

During his term in office the club was upgraded to an all-weather and night racing facility that can be compared to foreign clubs of good repute, an achievement which helped him carve his niche.

During his long tenure, Tariq also succeeded in retrieving a major territory belonging to the club from land grabbers and sought sponsorship worth millions of rupees for major races by multi-national and national firms, all signs of a period unparalleled in the racing history.

Not a single LRC chairman has ever been elected consecutively for 12 consecutive terms. Khan Qurban Ali Khan was elected for eleven years — from October 1955 to December 1966.

However, in the past Arbab Nur Mohammad Khan hailing from the then North West Frontier Province (NWFP) had been elected chairman for fourteen terms but in two different stints — first for five years, from January 1976 to December 1980, and then from January 1989 to December 1997.

Besides Arbab, the other chairmen who had two stints include Sardar Jamal Khan Leghari, Syed Abid Hussain and Malik Mohammad Ali Noon.

Prior to the country’s independence from British rule, an English horse-lover Sir Percy Marsh was the LRC chairman, who held the top office from March 1946 to March 1947.He was succeeded by Sardar Mohammad Jamal Khan Leghari, who acted as LRC chairman from April 1947 to March 1950.

The other chairmen following in order of their office term were The Khan Of Badresha Taj Mohammad Khan(April 1950 to July 1952); Sardar Mohammad Jamal Khan Leghari July 1952 to September 1953); Syed Abid Hussain (September 1953 to October 1954); Malik Mohammad Ali Noon (October 1954 to October 1955); Khan Qurban Ali Khan (October 1955 to December 1966); Malik Mohammad Ali Noon (November 1966 to December 1969); Syed Abid Hussain (December 1969 to February 1971); Sardar Mohammad Khan Leghari (March 1971 to July 1971); Muzaffar Ali Qizilbash (July 1971 to December 1975); Arbab Nur Mohammad Khan (January 1976 to December 1980); G. Mueen-ud-Din (January 1981 to December 1981); Syed Wajid Ali Shah (January 1982 to December 1988); Arbab Nur Mohammad Khan (January 1989 to December 1997); Syed Fakhar Imam (December 1997 to December 2002) and Tariq Aziz (December 2002 till to date).

Incidentally, all the chairmen had been horse-lovers and breeders owning race-horses and played a commendable role in promoting breeding and racing.

Legharis, Syed Abid Hussain, Malik Mohammad Ali Noon, Muzaffar Ali Qizilbash, Syed Wajid Ali Shah, Arbab Nur Mohammad Khan and Tariq Aziz had set up stud farms to produce quality thoroughbreds.

The standard of horse racing experienced a significant improvement from 1950s to 1975 thanks to the work done by highly competent racing officials like Abdul Hameed Khan and Ata Ali Khan. Their untiring efforts assisted their respective chairmen and lifted the equine sport to new heights.

Since they were masters in race management and were skilled in the work of stipendiary steward, handicapper etc, they maintained direct link with owners, trainers and breeders looking after the racing fraternity’s interests for the greater good of racing.

With their stature of experts they enjoyed the confidence of their chairmen as a result racing standard touched the highest peak with owners commanding a very respectable position ever seen in club’s history. The credit of all progress went to respective chairmen.

Contrarily, horse racing started undergoing decline from 1976 when racing was banned during the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto regime. Later, after revival of races, the club was shifted from Gulberg Road Complex to Kot Lakhpat and race lovers built the new club during the tenures of Arbab Nur Mohammad Khan, G. Mueen-ud-din, Syed Wajid Ali Shah and Syed Fakhar Imam with Ata Ali Khan as secretary.

Tariq Aziz revolutionised the club, turning it into an all-weather and night racing facility.

Five years ago, Shahbaz Sharif’s Punjab government by imposing an excise duty of Rs200 per person on the entry ticket to the club during race days caused a big blow to the equine sport.

As a result, the number of race-goers has been continuously dwindling while the sponsorships reduced, leaving the club in an economic crisis.

Since that severe blow, horse racing has suffered considerably and has struggled to survive.