LAHORE: Three cup events, including the Kashmir Day Cup, highlight the eight-race card drawn for the 23rd Lahore Winter Meeting which gets under way here at the Racecourse on Sunday.

The Kashmir Day Cup marks the observance of the day to express solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their just struggle against the Indian occupation and win the right to self-determination in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions.

A Class VII Division 1st handicap race to be gone over 1,100 metres, the Kashmir Day Cup has nine acceptors. Of them the quartet of Al Raunaq, Summer Beauty, Sand Storm and Brave Eagle seem genuine contenders. The last named has handicap advantage.

The main supporting event, Sheikh Zaheer Aslam Memorial Cup which is a term race for three-year-olds to be gone over 1,200 metres, has nine pedigreed colts and fillies.

The trio of Farhan King, Bella Verde and Leisure Trip, who have performed well in recent meetings, should fight it out in a grim course action.

The second main supporting event titled Yasoob Again Cup, which is a combined VI and VII Class handicap race of 1,200 metres, contains nine runners. The quartet of Watto Choice, Parsian Pearl, Neymar and J.K. will be seeking victory in this event.

The other five races that have been programmed comprise horses belonging to different divisions in Class VII. Four races will be contested over 1,000 metres and one over 1,100 metres.

In all, 79 horses will be featuring in today’s races with the first to start at 12:00 noon.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2023