LAHORE: A seven-event card with one race for thoroughbreds — the Spring Farewell Cup — will be decided during the 34th running of the Lahore Winter Meeting at the Racecourse here on Sunday.

The other six races have a big thrust of unknown pedigree horses.

Five races programmed for thoroughbred horses have been declared void for want of entries as the owners/trainers seem disinterested to run their horses.

These events are the Royal Ascot Cup for three-year-old and above, the High Again Plate Class IV, Farewell Cup, a term race for three-year-old, Druree Plate Class V and Kashmir Plate For Class VI.

Perhaps some attractive prize-money on offer would have lured owners to let at least a couple of these events to be held, if not all.

Secondly the hot sunny afternoon at the end of April may be a discouraging aspect for owners to run their best horses.

In all, 80 horses are likely to take part in the programme of seven races.

The first race will be held at 2.00pm.

Meanwhile, the Lahore Race Club (LRC) stewards have announced a couple of reforms in handicaps in particular to encourage owners/trainers to run their horses, and improve quality of racing in general.

A notification issued by the LRC on Wednesday informed owners/trainers that the Pakistani thoroughbred horses, if tried in class VI division IV fail to appear on board genuinely in seven runs, they will be handicapped in class VII division I and assigned 8-6. The race club management will change the rider of such horses when deemed fit.

The half-bred horses, after six runners, will be demoted to class VII division II an assigned 8-10 weight and will not be demoted further.

Yet another step announced says the unknown pedigree horses, will have to be tried in class VII division IV and the option of their further demotion lies with the stewards for their handicapping in division V, and that too conditionally.

While these measures are considered positive to administer qualitative change in the running of races to keep utmost transparency and maintain standard of racing, the recent action taken by the LRC stewards to reduce period of punishment of riders has been under the focus of some criticism by race-goers.

Talking to Dawn a group of race-goers said the stewards announce exemplary punishments to erring riders and those indulging in malpractices to get plaudits from the race-goers and after a couple of weeks, they reduce these punishments secretly which is ‘bemusing’ and ‘unfair’ Is it not compromising on the quality of the genteel sports, Why such punishments are handed down which are later pardoned, they asked?

Following is the field and selections:

THE KASHMIR PLATE CLASS VII DIV V — 1,000M:

Al-Warda 9-0, Dil Wali 8-10, Kit Kat 8-10, Miracle Boy 8-8, Wasim Choice 8-4, Ma Cheri 8-2, Accurate Game 8-0, Dheerey Dheerey 7-10, Goonj 7-8, Karam Pay Karam 7-8, Baby Accurate 7-4, Palwasha 7-4. Win: Karam Pay Karam. Place: Accurate Game and Al-Warda.

THE KASHMIR PLATE CLASS VII DIV V — 1,000M:

Party Time 8-8, Daniel Bryan 8-8, Lucky Sohna 8-2, Tora Rose 7-12, Great Adla 7-12, Push The Limits 7-8. Win: Tora Rose: Place: Party Time and Lucky Sohna.

THE KASHMIR PLATE CLASS VII DIV IV — 1,000M:

Power of Dream 8-10, Rawal Naz 8-8, Bahar Ul Kahil 8-6, Happiness Moment 8-4, Stone Queen 8-4, Piyara Jutt 7-12, Killing Eyes 7-10, Suzain 7-10, Lead Them Home 7-10, Chanda Rani 7-10, Phir Ek Baar 7-8. Win: Suzain. Place: Power of Dream and Rawal Naz.

THE KASHMIR PLATE CLASS VII DIV III & IV — 1,000M:

Rainy Day 9-0, Ring Leader 9-0, Zobi The Great 9-0, Accurate Chance 9-0, Dollar Box 8-12, Top Shot 8-10, Mera Aftab 8-10, Neeli The Great 8-6, New Sonia 8-4, Every Day 8-2, True Man 8-0, Aye Anmole 8-0, Man of Steel 7-10. Win: Dollar Box. Place: Aye Anmole and Top Shot.

THE KASHMIR PLATE CLASS VII DIV II & III — 1,000M:

Bukhara Pride 9-0, Zartaj 9-0, Real Commando 9-0, Gift Me 9-0, Great Warrior 9-0, Sindhu Queen 9-0, Dhandhla Queen 8-10, Furious 8-10, One Man Show 8-8, Baby De Pari 8-4, Naughty Striker 8-4, Sub Zero 8-2, Murad Queen 8-2, Mr Danzing 8-2, Boney Light 8-0, Love For Money 8-0, Too Smart 8-0. Win: Love For Money. Place: Boney Light ad One Man Show.

THE SPRING FAREWELL CUP CLASS VI DIV II & III — 1,000M:

Palmers 9-0, Gold Coast 9-0, Prince Of Line 8-12, Gujrat Seven 8-10, Show Card 8-10, Minister of Bhakkar 8-8, Dazzling 8-8, Delectable 8-6, Gujrat Three 8-4, Rush of Blood 8-0. Win: Minister of Bhakkar. Place: Gold Coast and Delectable.

THE KASHMIR PLATE CLASS VII DIV I — 1,000M:

Satpara 9-3, Sixth Sense 8-12, Day’s Best 8-10, Shan-e-Sikandar 8-8, Banjo 8-6 Benevolent 8-4, Roman Story 8-4, Conflict Zone 8-0, Hornet 7-12, Bredon Hill 7-10. Win: Shan-e-Sikandar. Place: Day’s Best and Satpara.

Published in Dawn, April 30th, 2017