KARACHI: The horseracing connoisseurs returned with mixed feelings as riders Mohammad Manzoor and Asad Aksir shared the riding honours during the winter Gymkhana race meeting at the Karachi Racecourse on Saturday.

With a win already under her belt, four-year-old bay filly WhatsApp powered to a five-length victory over mare Baab-e-The Rani to clinch the Surprise Cup in a repeat performance.

Running in a bunch of seven horses, WhatsApp kicked up speed in home stretch and overtook front-running mare Poetry who fell to fourth place further beaten by second placed Baab-e-The Rani and third placed Native Prince.

Owned by Yasmeen Azher and sent out by trainer Ghulam Shabbir II, the eventual champion was piloted home by rider Manzoor who was declared champion rider of 2018.

In same fashion, seven-year-old bay horse Toofan made amends for the previous loss by imposing to a length-and-a-half victory over filly Sweet Victory to win the feature event.

It may be mentioned that favourite Toofan was beaten by rank outsider Shan-e-Kaif by seven lengths on Jan 26 following alleged foul start.

Sher Khan was placed third six lengths behind followed by Ghazi Gift.

The race-goers termed the last two races of the four-race card as ‘fair’.

At the outset, mare Quetta Queen stretched her winning run by getting the better of Sharapova by three and-a-half lengths while three-year-old bay filly Queen’s Best atoned to her last defeat by upstaging Tip Top by five lengths in the next race.

Aksir completed the double by piloting home Quetta Queen and Toofan while Manzoor sprinted Queen’s Best and WhatsApp to triumph.

Trainer Shabbir was on song with a double with Queen’s Best and WhatsApp.

Results:

THE SURPRISE PLATE SCALE ORDER VIII — 4 F:

Quetta Queen (Adam Khan Lango) 8-12, Asad Aksir 1; Sharapova 8-4, Mohammad Qais 2; Watson (Big Boy Blue) 9-0 (cr8-7) Ali Raza II 3; Blue Revenue 9-0 (cr8-11), Shahzad Gul 4.

Won by 3½ L, 14 L, 11 L. Time: 0.55 1/5 seconds. Winner trained by M. Shahzad.

THE SURPRISE PLATE SCALE ORDER IV, V, VI & VII — 4½ F:

Queen’s Best (Syed Ismail Shah) 8-7, Mohammad Manzoor 1; Tip Top 8-10, Mohammad Qais 2; Black Smoke 7-2 (cr7-7), Asad Aksir 3; I Gold 8-0 (7-11), Ali Ehsan 4.

Won by 5 L, 6 L, 3½ L. Time: 0.57 3/5 seconds. Winner trained by Ghulam Shabbir II.

THE SURPRISE CUP SCALE ORDER III & IV — 4½ F:

WhatsApp (Yasmeen Azhar) 8-0 (cr8-3), Mohammad Manzoor 1; Baab-e-The Rani 8-6, Asad Aksir 2; Native Prince 8-13, Tariq Baran 3; Poetry 9-0, Mohammad Rashid 4.

Won by 5 L, 1/2 L, ½ L. Time: 0.58 2/5 seconds. Winner trained by Ghulam Shabbir II.

THE SURPRISE PLATE SCALE ORDER I AND II 5 F:

Toofan (Haji Sahib Jan Bareach) 9-0, Asad Aksir 1; Sweet Victory 7-0, Zaki Zakir 2; Sher Khan 7-13, Mohammad Qais 3; Ghazi Gift 7-0, Sohail Ahmed 4.

Won by 1½ L, 6 L, 2 L. Time: One minute 5 1/5 seconds. Winner trained by Amjad Ali.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2019