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LAHORE, Aug 25: Five-year-old bay horse Ahtisab, piloted by riding boy M. Jehangir, strode to a narrow win in the feature event of the Lahore Gymkhana races at the Racecourse Sunday.
Backed at three to one Ahtisab defeated the odds-on favourite Half Love by three-fourth of a length in the sixth and last race run over the sprinting distance of 900 metres. After the last- minute withdrawal of the fancied mare Arooj, money flowed on Half Love, who became even-money public fancy.
Midway through the race Half Love was leading from Ahtisab by a length but as they entered the straight a grim fight ensued between the two and ultimately Half Love succumbed to pressure and conceded lead to Ahtisab.
But it was not all as Half Love rallied strongly in the last 50 metres but could only succeed in narrowing the margin of defeat. Bay mare Perfect Timing finished third, a distance behind while the chestnut Better Case completed the board among nine runners left after the withdrawal of Arooj.
Riding boy M. Jehangir was lucky to get the ride of Ahtisab shortly before the start of the race. As the horses reached the starting gates the Lahore Race Club (LRC) stewards substituted him in place of Azhar Hussain, who was declared to ride Ahtisab earlier.
The change yielded positive results for the connections as well as his backers.
A race earlier, three-year-old chestnut filly Sound Of Music registered his maiden victory in the fifth and supporting event run over 900 metres.
The two fillies, Rukhtas Again and On On, who were being fancied for the top honours, were withdrawn at the time of declaration of riders.
After their withdrawal it looked anyone’s race. Though ridden by a novice rider Shahnawaz, Sound Of Music put up a spirited display of speed to beat the bay gelding Star Gate by three clear lengths. Lucky Credit Queen and Crsyler completed the board in the same order.
Jockey Majid Khan earned the distinction of bringing home a brace of winners. He sailed in the three-year-old bay colt Incognito in the third race and followed it up with a start-to- finish victory on Haseen Love in the following event. Both his mounts were first favourites.
However, Incognito was the best performer of the afternoon. The colt was slightly slow at the start of this third race and it looked that he might not be able to win but the brave colt gradually made up for the lost ground and as the heads turned towards straight he was almost ahead of the field.
He won in the same manner. Incognito defeated Senna by three lengths. Al Jarrar and Thank You Dear finished third and fourth, respectively.
The bay colts Love Faisal and Track Star, who won the opener and second race respectively, justified the confidence of their backers and received spontaneous applause making it two in-a- row each.
Track Star (Mohsin Ali up) was lucky to survive an objection lodged by Waqas Sheikh,the rider of Super Time, placed second for boaring and crossing in the home stretch.
Following are the results:
MUZAFFARABAD PLATE CLASS VII DIV VI 900M:
Love Faisal (Mohammad Naeem Saleem) 8-4 Shahid Rehman 1. Faheem Choice 9-0 A. Imran 2. Cape Town 9-0 M. Hussain 3. Familiar Master 9-0 Nazir Ahmad 4.
Won by 3 1/4 L, Short-head, 5 L.
Time 58 1/5 seconds.
Winner trained by Mohammad Hanif.
MUZAFFARABAD PLATE CLASS VII DIVISION V 900M:
Track Star (Syed Iftikhar Ali) 8-7 Mohsin Ali 1. New Valley 8-5 A. Imran 2. Super Time 8-1 Waqas Sheikh 3. Fifty Six Fifty Six 8-6 Qamar Zaman 4.
Won by 5 L, 3/4 L, 5 1/2 L.
Time 58 seconds.
Winner trained by Mohammad Aslam.
MUZAFFARABAD PLATE CLASS VII DIV IV 900M:
Incognito (Mohammad Ibrahim) 7-10 Majid Khan 1. Senna 8-7 Mujahid Ali (II) 2. Al Jarrar 7-10 Faisal Hussain 3. Thank You Dear 7-10 Qamar Zaman 4.
Won by 3 L, 1/2 L, 1 L.
Time 56 4/5 seconds.
Winner trained by Akhtar Mir.
MUZAFFARABAD PLATE CLASS VII DIV III 900M:
Haseen Love (Arif Mahmood Butt) 8-7 Majid Khan 1. Asif Love 8-5 M. Faisal 2. Time Is gold 8-7 Javed Iqbal 3. Royal Bullet 7-13 Shahzad Ahmad 4.
Also ran: Silk Route, Stake Holder, Al Zarrar, Waseem Love, The Conqueror, Value Of Life, Zuhair Choice, Khush Naseeb and Mahnoor.
Won by 2 1/4 L, 1 L, 1/2 L.
Time 56 seconds.
Winner trained by Mohammad Afzal.
MUZAFFARABAD PLATE CLASS VII DIV I & II 900M METRES:
Sound Of Music (Mumtaz Ahmad Doga) 7-10 Shahnawaz 1. Star Gate 9-2 Mohsin Ali 2. Lucky Credit Queen 7-10 Parvez Bhatty 3. Crysler 8-4 Javed Iqbal 4.
Won by 3 L, 1 3/4 L, 2 1/2 L.
Time 55 4/5 seconds.
Winner trained by Rashid Latif.
KOT ADU PLATE CLASS III, IV & V 900M:
Ahtisab (Makhdoom Ali Raza) 7-10 M. Jehangir 1. Half Love 10-2 Khurrum Sheikh 2. Perfect Timing 7-13 Shehzad Ahmad 3. Better Case 9-3 Mujahid Ali (II) 4.
Won by 3/4 L, Distance. 3 l.
Time 55 3/5 seconds.
Winner trained by Haji Fazal Hadi.
