KARACHI: Favourite Shan-e-Kaif obliged all and sundry while galloping to six-and-a-half lengths victory to lift the Sun Dancer Cup as young rider Asad Aksir piloted home a brace of winners in the winter Gymkhana race meeting at the Karachi Racecourse on Saturday. The races also marked the culmination of 2017 racing calendar.

Shan-e-Kaif, who had fallen behind 13 lengths to Sayeen Jee in scale order III and IV race on Dec 25, beat Lady’s Secret for the honours. The cup race was the supporting event, scale order III, IV and V and gone over five furlongs.

Chestnut horse Olympus One was beaten by half-a-length to seize third place while mare New Hope completed the frame five lengths further away among seven starters.

Rider Aksir partnered a favourite and a second favourite to hog day’s limelight. Favourite five-year-old bay horse Toofan who trailed behind in the initial stage, kicked up in home stretch to post an exciting two lengths victory over Olympus as Mohtram completed the board in a small field of three horses. It was the last race and the feature event, scale order I, contested over five furlongs.

Earlier, the rider partnered second favourite mare Shandar Love to a length victory over favourite filly Snow White in the second race as Second Life and Salam Kashmir complete the board.

At the outset, outsider bay horse Day Breaker lowered the colours of favourite bay horse Trigger by six-and-a-half lengths to upset the applecart.

Meanwhile, the next Gymkhana race meeting will be held on Saturday.

Results:

THE SUN DANCER PLATE SCALE ORDER VII AND VIII 4½ F:

Day Breaker (Zia-ur-Rehman) 9-0, Mohammad Nasir 1; Trigger 8-4, Asad Aksir 2; Usman Prince 8-1 (cr8-6), Pervez Ali 3; Load Shedding 8-7, Ali Ehsan 4.

Won by 6½ L, 5 L, 7 L. Time: 0.59 2/5 seconds. Winner trained by owner.

THE SUN DANCER PLATE SCALE ORDER VI AND VII 5 F:

Shandar Love (Tahir Aziz Kurd) 7-12, Asad Aksir 1; Snow White 9-0 (cr9-1), Tariq Baran 2; Second Life 8-3, Zohaib Qamar 3; Salam Kashmir 7-10 Muzammil 4.

Won by 1 L, 10 L, 1¼ L. Time: One minute 5 3/5 seconds. Winner trained by Ghulam Channa.

THE SUN DANCER CUP SCALE ORDER III, IV AND V 5 F:

Shan-e-Kaif (Saeed Raza) 8-4, Pervez Ali 1; Lady’s Secret 8-9, Zohaib Qamar 2; Olympus One 7-10, Sohail Ahmed 3; New Hope 8-1, Mohammad Sajjad 4 .

Won by 6½ L, ½ L, 5 L. Time: One minute 3 1/5 seconds. Winner trained by Sher Mohammad.

THE SUN DANCER PLATE SCALE ORDER I 5 F:

Toofan (Mohammad Asif Zehri) 7-13, Asad Aksir 1; Olympus 10-0, Mohammad Nasir 2; Mohtram 8-12 (cr9-1), Tariq Baran 3.

Won by 2 L, 5 L. Time: One minute 2 2/5 seconds. Winner trained by Tanvir Abbasi.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2017