KARACHI, Dec 24: Fourteen well bred Pakistani horses will be trotting out to the starting gate to vie for the top honours in the Quaid-i-Azam Gold Cup Trials, to be held over the gruelling distance of 10 furlongs, when the Winter Race Meeting takes place on Christmas Day.

Of the 14 runners three of them, Admiral Way and Hard Press, along with the bay gelding Think Thank, have come down from Lahore with big reputations.

Admiral Way, winner of the Pakistan Derby Trials in Lahore last year under the country’s leading rider Shahid Rehman is however, penalised to carry 10 stones on his back, while Hard Press will be carrying another big load of nine stones and eight stones.

Think Thank has only 7-13 to carry, but the gelding still needs another outing to settle down on the Karachi turf.

Off the lot Syed Taufiq Kamal’s impressive bay filly Gambling Princess, a featherweight in the scales, is fancied in these columns to gallop to victory in this race, closely followed home by Diablo and the game gelding Leo. Mohammad Rafiq Karim’s Persian Arrow, trained by his son K.R. Ali, could provide the element of surprise.

All in all, seven events is on the racing card with the first race beginning at 12-30 p.m.

The Christmas Cup is up for grabs and has only eight two-year-old colts and fillies going over five furlongs to pick up the spoils.

Of the eight, Syed Taufiq Kamal’s dark bay filly Qaswa Princess, just down from Lahore, should win this race hands down from Prince Khurram and Chantilly Lace, if she settles down in her new surroundings over the five furlong sprint.

In the opener also to be run over five furlongs, Baby Face, although penalised to carry 9-2 on her back, will be going all out to make it three winners in a row for owner Mohammad Rafiq Siddique.

But this will certainly not be an easy task, with Chardha Suraj, Hamza Saheb and Smiling Senorita breathing down her neck.

In the next race, Al Khair with a good lad astride, should settle the score with another victory, Shaune Pollock and the grey colt Al Zarrar will be engaged in a keen duel for the second spot.

The third event of the afternoon, should provide plenty of thrills for the racing fans. In this race Ismail Shah’s brown colt Slim Fit has the speed to make a race of this five furlong sprint. Feasible and Al Jarrar, will also be there at the winning post. But if the bay mare Golden News keeps on a straight course and does not go wide at the bend, it will be a different story to tell.

In the sixth event to be contested by 11 runners over six furlongs, Kamal Farooq’s bay filly Al Ashia is fancied to win in our columns. But the filly will have to put on a sweat as My Freedom and Love, will be two constant thorns in her side.

Danger however lurks in the shadows in the form the dark bay colt Thunder Clap.

The curtain should unfurl with our day’s best Dur-e-Yamen adding another winner to our tally with Gambling Girl and Charkh Bareen in close pursuit over the six furlong sprint.

All said and done, an exciting afternoon of horseracing awaits the fans.

Following is the field and or selections:

CHRISTMAS PLATE CLASS IX DIV G-I 5F