LAHORE: Lahore’s 2022 racing season goes into turf action with a five-race card featuring two cup events during the opening day/night Lahore Summer Meeting starting here at the Racecourse on Thursday.

The races scheduled for Sunday (July 3) were postponed to Thursday due to “unavoidable circumstances”, said an official statement.

Although there is a slight increase in the number of runners for Thursday’s races as in all 49 acceptors are in the field -- 10 more as compared to previous days -- the card still looks competitive and picking a winner in a couple of races looks a difficult task for punters.

The main event, July Cup, a Class VII Division I and Class VI Division IV mixed handicap race to be contested over 1,000 metres has nine runners representing country’s top bloodlines. It looks an open race because of the entry of a quartet of horses who are in the field after a long break off the course.

This will be the fourth contest in the racing order.The supporting feature event, Chocolate Day Cup, a Class VII Division V and VI handicap race to be gone over 900 metres, has a big field. Of them three look to be real contenders — Mumraiz Prince, Mafnood Jr and Chhota Pathan — who should fight for top honours in the day’s second race.

In the opener, chestnut horse Chhota Raja will be seeking to make it two wins in-a row after a very good run a fortnight ago. Welcome Ladla and Gul-e-jalal should be his challengers.

Meanwhile, the Lahore Race Club (LRC) in view of the resurgence in Covid-19 cases has taken strict precautionary measures and urged race-goers to observe SOPs.

They will have to undergo body temperature test by LRC staff at the entry points, and only those wearing face mask will be allowed to enter.

The first race starts at 6:00pm.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2022