LAHORE: A card of seven events, featuring a cup race for the thoroughbred colts and fillies, has been drawn up for the 21st Lahore Winter Meeting at the Racecourse here on Sunday.

Some of the colts and fillies from the top progenitors are in the line-up of the Blooming Maid Cup, a Class VI Division I and II to be gone over the sprinting distance of 1,000 metres to make the weekend racing card interesting as well as most competitive affair.

The event has seven acceptors, of whom three come in to reckoning on their past performance and being traditionally good over the race distance. They are Yakeen, Street Smart and Mighty Wings.

Bay Yakeen, owned by one of the top breeders Makhdum Syed Ahmad Mahmud, was considered to be invincible until last running but ran off the frame due to the bursting of blood vessel during the race.

That emphatically ended the powerful three-year-old dominance on the course after two brilliant victories including setting up of a fast timing record over 1,200 metres. How he runs this time is a big question mark.

Mighty Wings is not an ordinary thoroughbred by bloodline with Street Smart too in the same ranking making it a wide open affair.

The supporting event, the Murree Plate Class VI Division III and IV to be contested over 1,000 metres has a sizable field of 11 runners. With majority of the acceptors still three-year-old maiden and three older stalwarts, who are in on chance, it is an open race.

The four races belonging to different divisions of class VII are heavily loaded with unknown pedigree horses numbering from fourteen to eighteen with four to five runners on chance in each race. In all a sizable turnout of 95 acceptors in all is to face the starter.

To the great disappointment of the race-goers the Thrill Cup, a race for horses in class IV and including imported thoroughbreds which was to be run over 1,600 metres could not be materialized due to less entries.

Only four imported horses accepted far from the laid down condition set for the running of the race envisaging five acceptors from different interests.

That is a condition which no longer could be fulfilled because local thoroughbreds owners would not take the risk to run their steeds against imported ones and the imported are not so many to fill the required figurative strength.

The initial concept to promote imported thoroughbred racing to such an extent to uplift standard and quality of racing and benefitting breeders to judge the quality of varied and new bloodlines for induction in breeding seems impossible unless new owners put their imported thoroughbreds on the course to augment the present strength to the revival of imported horse-racing.

The first race will be held at 12.00noon.

Following is the field and selections:

THE MURREE PLATE CLASS VII DIV V-B — 900M:

Jungle Cat 9-0, Aas Pass 9-0, Sweet Miracle 9-0, Dunya Deewani 8-12, Sweet Bullet 8-10, Look T Me 8-8, My Life 8-8, Afzaal Choice 8-8, Lucky Sohna 8-8, Black Smoke 8-6, Anmole One 8-2, Kehkashan 7-10, Agent 007 7-8, Accurate Child 7-8.

Win: Anmole One.

Place: Sweet Bullet and My Life.

THE MURREE PLATE CLASS VII DIV V-A — 900M:

Zillay Huma 9-0, Malika 8-12, Artghal 8-12, Zaheer Princess 8-12, Aftab Princess 8-12, Music Boy 8-12, Rawal Naz 8-12, Dhandhla Queen 8-8, Uzair Prince 8-8, Neel Kanwal 8-8, On The Spot Win 8-8, Star of Sky 8-8, Piara Jutt 8-6, Party Time 8-6, Sonay Ke Charia 8-4, Mango 8-4, Daniel Bryan 8-2, Killing Eyes 7-12.

Win: Zillay Huma.

Place: Rawal Naz and Artghal.

THE MURREE PLATE CLASS VII DIV III & IV — 900M:

Star of Dubai 9-0, Very Special 8-12, Dollar Box 8-10, Lead Them Home 8-10, Prince of Dubai 8-10, Happiness Moment 8-8, Fakhr Choice 8-8, Ripper 8-8, Bubbar Sher 8-8, Kokab 8-4, Khalid Princess 8-4, River Prince 8-4, Fakhr-e-Niaz Baig 8-0, Dil De Ruba 8-0, Silent Warrior 7-8, Leeza Princess 7-8, Crazy Cat Lady 7-8, Sub Zero 7-8.

Win: Kokab.

Place: Silent Warrior and Fakhr-e-Niaz Baig.

THE MURREE PLATE CLASS VII DIV II & III — 900M:

Candle 9-0, Aie Swair 9-0, Fancy Boy 8-10, Chan Punjabi 8-6, Rang-e-Hina 8-6, Shrill 8-6, Dil De Rani 8-6, Sweet Selection 8-4, Neeli The Great 8-4, Dancing Boy 8-2, Fakhta 8-2, Khudu 8-2, Dancing Baby 8-2, Power of Dream 8-2, Rashk-e-Qamar 8-0 Shahenshah (RRC) 8-0, Khan Prince 8-0.

Win: Neeli The Great.

Place: Candle and Aie Swair.

THE BLOOMING MAID CUP CLASS VI DIV I & II — 1,000M:

Yakeen 8-12, Street Smart 8-6, Mighty Wings 8-6, Prince 8-6, Blushing Away 8-0, Atlantic Prince 7-10, Lisbon 7-10.

Win: Yakeen.

Place: Street Smart and Mighty Wings.

THE MURREE PLATE CLASS VI DIV III & IV — 1,000M:

Alizeh’s Star 9-0, Sparking 9-0, Mighty Sattiana 9-0, Mari Jan 8-8, Moon Soon 8-6, Es Sakb 8-6, Tattla Queen 8-6, Gondal Prince 8-2, Don’t Stop Me 8-2, Proposal 8-0, Chan Makhna 7-12.

Win: Tattla Queen.

Place: Gondal Prince and Proposal.

THE MURREE PLATE CLASS VII DIV I & II — 1,100M:

Abdullah Princess 8-10, Ned’ Dream 8-6, Shan-e-Sikandar 8-6, Moon Star 8-4, Keep It Up 8-2, River Rose 8-2, Muskarahat 8-2, Hornet 7-12, Punjabi Munda 7-10, Aie Desert 7-10.

Win: Hornet.

Place: Shan-e-Sikandar and Muskarahat.

Published in Dawn, January 21st, 2018