LAHORE: The Lahore Race Club (LRC) boasts of providing a testing ground for horse speed, stamina and endurance to breeders to pick and chose animals for quality breeding during 90 years of its existence.

The aims and objectives were high when the LRC made its moderate beginning during the British rule in 1924.

A group of four horse-loving Englishmen formed a limited company under the Article of Association and set up the club named the Lahore Race Club and held its first race meeting during the spring season in 1924.

The basic idea was to promote horse-breeding and training of horses and ponies in Punjab which fertile land was found suitable for the purpose.

The four equine sports enthusiasts, two veterinarians and two cavaliers — Col G. K Walker and Lt Col T. R. Chambers, E. A. Scot and W. Taylor — floated the company with specified objectives to encourage and promote breeding and training of horses and ponies, organise and control race meetings in the LRC and elsewhere in Punjab.

They defined that horse-racing and breeding are inseparable companions and natural helpers. The one cannot exist without the other as racing provide essential test for horse-breeding industry. By its means breeders ascertain as to who is the best animal to breed from, and through it hardiness, stamina, speed and endurance power of horse is determined.

At the first meeting of the LRC stewards in March 1924, W. Taylor, was unanimously elected chairman who held the office till 1930.

He was succeeded by H. M. Mckenzie but after a year W. Taylor was re-elected chairman for yet another six years.

Since then the LRC has seen 21 chairmen with four of them enjoying two stints. By 1947 the club had seven other chairmen of English descent, namely Sir Hennery Graih (1938-39), A. Farquharson (1940), Major S. O. Donel (1941), Sir Percy Orde (1942), F. C. Bourne (1943), P. W. March (1944-45) and Sir Percy March (1946-47).

After the establishment of Pakistan, Sirdar Mohammad Jamal Khan Leghari took over as chairman (1948-49). Later on the LRC had 13 chairmen, four of whom have had two stints each.

The LRC chairman in office at present, Tariq Aziz, has the credit of running the club affairs for over 13-years and is still going strong. Khan Qurban Ali Khan was the second chairman to hold office for the second longest period of eleven years. Arbab Nur Mohammad Khan held the office for twelve years but in two stints.

Sirdar Mohamamd Jamal Khan Leghari, Taj Mohammad Khan, Col. Mohammad Ali Noon, Syed bid Hussain, Nawab Mozaffar Ali Khan Qizilbash, Syed Wajid Ali Shah and Syed Fakhar Imam were elected for more than one term. However Sirdar Leghari had the shortest stint of four months.

G. Mueen-Ud-Din who held the office of Jockey Club of Pakistan (JCP) chairman for many years was also elected LRC chairman for an year in 1981.

Since 1924, seventeen LRC secretaries had the credit to serve the club some of them have had the distinction of being the legends in the field.

Several secretaries of English descent were Major E. P. Shine (1924-26), Captain W. M. Maud (1927-35), W. G. C. Frith (1935-36), Major H. T. Herith (1937-40), Major C. H. Godsland (1941), Captain T. A. Jeffery (1942-45) and Col C. H. Godsland 1946-48). After partition no trained secretary was available and Col Godland was retained till the end of 1948 when A. Hussain replaced him in early 1949 and held the post till 1955 to hand over the charge to Abdul Hameed Khan.

Hameed remained LRC secretary for twelve years only to relinquish the charge in 1967 when he joined the JCP as handicapper and stipendiary steward. In those days the JCP was the supreme race controlling authority in Pakistan and affiliated with the Jockey Club of England (JCE).

Fateh Nasrullah joined LRC after Hameed elevation to the JCP and held the job for four years before he left for Australia.

Hameed was reinstalled as LRC secretary and by that time he had established himself as the top racing official in the country. He, however, quit the job in 1971.

A couple of men were tried later with the stewards supervising their jobs but finally Ata Ali Khan, a Bombay Race Club official who had migrated from India and was serving as Assistant Secretary was promoted as secretary in 1976.

Ata continued for over two decades and was succeeded by the-then assistant secretary Nazir Ali but after a year Ata was brought back who remained secretary till his death in 2006 when his trained Shahzad Akhtar, a law graduate and serving under Ata was promoted as secretary.

He has been holding the post since then under the guidance of LRC chairman Tariq Aziz. Shahzad, a polite officer by nature, comes from a racing family and has by now proved a sound tactician in running affairs of the club.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2014