KARACHI: The Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup, which is the showpiece event of the Karachi Race Club (KRC), appears to be a two-horse race between bay horse Royal Ransom and filly Queen of Spades when it takes place in the winter Gymkhana race meeting here at the Karachi Racecourse on Sunday.

The meeting marks the culmination of the racing calendar.

A full house of equine lovers is expected to turn up and cheer their favourite horses to commemorate the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation.

A healthy 10-race card has been drawn for the day which includes five cup races. Unlike past practice, no horse from the Lahore Race Club (LRC) will be seen in action in the blue-ribbon event this year. Similarly, top riders, owners and trainers have also not arrived for the event.

It is pertinent to mention that a horse Raksh had come to the metropolis last month to compete in the Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup but returned after featuring in the Shah Mardan Shah Pir Pagara Memorial Cup where the colt finished third.

A fierce battle is expected between 2020 Quaid-e-Azam Gold Cup winner Royal Ransom — who was placed third last year — and Queen of Spades in the prized race being run over 10 furlongs.

Endurance and tactful handling of the horses by riders matters most in the handicap race for three-year-old and above thorough-bred and half-bred contestants.

Royal Ransom had only one run during the entire year in the Shah Mardan Shah Pir Pagara Memorial Cup where he finished off the frame while Queen of Spades is on course to make it three on the trot.

Chestnut horse Thunder Star has the ability to bring an element of surprise by overcoming five other aspirants.

The winner of the prestigious cup will fetch Rs770,000 out of a total stake of approximately Rs3.3 million that has been allocated for the meeting.

With a hat-trick already under her belt, filly Queens Pride looks poised to clinch the 2000 Guineas of Pakistan while overcoming the challenge in a small field of four horses in the competition contested over a mile.

Colt Sand Man looks fancied to annex the Nursery Cup being run over six furlongs. He is pitted alongside seven acceptors.

The X-MAS Cup is likely to end in a blaze of glory for bay horse Churchill. The race that will go over six furlongs has a field of seven horses.

Mare Heer seems to be the best bet in the M. Rasheed Jung Memorial Cup being run over five furlongs. She is expected to thwart the challenge from chestnut mare Sweet Golden to emerge as Champion Horse of the Year. Both the horses are tied with six wins apiece.

Dark bay horse Safeer Love, bay horse Raging Comet, colt Al Sabah, bay horse Cracks Man and filly Angel Love are expected to dominate the other five races of the card.

The first race starts at 11:30am.

Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2022