LAHORE, Jan 30: Hundreds of punters demonstrated at the Lahore Race Club (LRC) alleging that they were “robbed” during the fifth race of the mid-week Lahore Gymkhana events Wednesday.

The fifth race was won by the long-shot chestnut gelding Russian Pet from the bay mare Keep In Steps, whom he beat by a distance. The 14 runners took part in the race. But for the winner, no other contestants looked interested in making the race well-contested!

As the fifth race concluded, hundreds of punters staged a demonstration, demanding cancellation of the event which, according to them, was not run “fairly”.

They raised slogans in favour of declaring the event null and void.

TheLRCstewards held the race “in order” and hoisted ‘white cone’ which symbolised that it was ‘all clear”! This infuriated the protesting punters, some of whom behaved in an ugly manner and even hurled abuses. They were dispersed by LRC security guards.

The LRC stewards called to question all the riders taking part in the race. Not being satisfied with their explanations, they ordered an inquiry.

Pending the findings of that inquiry, they suspended all riders, excepting the winner, barring their mounts from taking part in races till the inquiry was completed.

The riders suspended (names of their mounts in parenthesis) are: Azeem Pervaiz (Madam Lorina),M. Parvez (AzizSahab), Zulfiqar Hussain (Fiftysix Fiftysix), Faisal (Shaiman), M.Imran (Rehmat Ka Phool), Shehzad Iqbal (Loveliest), Tehseen Hussain (Keep In Step), M. Faisal (Arcade Princess),A.Aziz(Blu’s High), Khalid (Hallo Brother), Tariq Habib (Rambo Princess), Kamran Hussain (Seven Spades) and Qamnar Zaman (Royal Gamble).

Commenting on the unsavoury incident, former cricket Test opener Aftab Gul, who is an ardent lover of horses and regular visitorof the LRC, said that there was a dire need of strict controlover the racing if the sport was to survive in the Punjab metropolis.—AG