KARACHI, May 7: Ghazanfar Hussain Hidayatullah’s highly bred dark bay filly Excalibur, had a splendid victory last week under jockey Arshad and with a little more improvement should triumph once again in the main event of the Winter Gymkhana Race Meeting which gets under way on Sunday at the Karachi Racecourse. Participating in a six furlong sprint with seven other runners, the Key Guy-Radcliff sibling should make it two winners in a row for her proud owner, followed home by Wonder Thunder and stable companion Sharp Cat, with Killer Instincts joining the fray.
Due to the extensive heat prevailing in the city, only seven events have been chalked out. Five will be run over five furlongs and the last two will go over six.
The first race begins at 2.00 p.m.
In the opener, Prosmatic, although carrying 9-0 looks a good thing to win the five furlong sprint, chased all the way past the winning post by the bay horse Royal Wisdom and Baby Tabassum..
In the next event, the dark bay horse Tag Team with a good lad astride, should deliver the goods for owner Syed Najam Saeed and could be followed home by the blue roan Street Fighter and the bay horse On The Run, in a big field of 18 runners.
The third race also has 18 runners in contention and if all goes well, Arab Hi Arab although penalised to carry 9-5, should pass the winning post ahead of the six-year-old bay Power Of Tiger and Dunhill Desire.
Ghulam Dastagir Rajar’s bay filly Voodoo Doll, seems on song for a hat trick of victories in the fourth race on the afternoon’s programme, sprinting home ahead of the bay mare Sonia with Shah Mardan Shah II Pir Pagaro VII’s thoroughbred chestnut colt Yes Neighbour Yes, grabbing the third spot.
In the fifth event, Bahar-e-Arab seems all set to pick up the spoils from Deniro and Summer Wine, while the bay horse Safeena-e-Arab should resume his winning ways in the following event, after finishing third behind Ghazan Prince and Fantastic Face in the Karachi Gold Cup.
Challenging Safeea-e-Arfab for the honours will be Sarazen and Tharkyee.
Following is the field and our selections for Sunday.
KHUSHALL PLATE CLASS VII DIV V & VI 5F
Afzaal Prince 9-5, Prosmatic 9-0, Ustadon Ka Ustad 8-11, Baby Tabassum 8-10, Silver Sweet 8-9, National Lining 8-8, Royal Wisdom 8-7, Hat’s Off 8-6, Flying Prince 8-5, Law Of Nature 8-1, Taneez 8-0, Raysham 7-13, Roop Ki Rani 7-12, Ghori 7-12, and Little Sunny 7-10.
Win: Prosmatic
Place: Royal Wisdom & Baby Tabassum.
KHUSHALL PLATE CLASS VII DIV IV 5F
Canon Ball 9-0, Tag Team 9-0, Fascinate 8-13, Jet Zone 8-13, Street Fighter 8-10, Lalda 8-6, On The Run 8-6, Lucky Seven 8-5, Eye Lady 8-2, Golden Copy 8-2, Gold Disc 8-1, Lex Luger 8-0, Piyari Mehbooba 8-0, Raj Kumar 7-13, Sea Biscuit 7-13, Son Of Mine 7-10, Melody II 7-10, and Quite Arrival 7-10.
Win: Tag Team
Place: Street Fighter & On the Run.
KHUSHALL PLATE CLASS VII DIV III 5F
Arab Hi Arab (Late Pied Piper) 9-5, Dunhill Desire 9-0, National Currency 9-0, Silver City 8-13, Silent Angel 8-13, Hazoom 8-2, Smiling Face 8-10, Ultimate Victory 8-10, Desperado 8-7, Clapping 8-6, Road Fighter 8-5, Free Spirit 8-2, Power Of Tiger 8-2, The Ripple 8-2, Pretty Jo 8-1, Crysler 8-1, Jaguar 8-0 and Blind Date 7-8.
Win: Arab Hi Arab
Place: Power Of Tiger & Dunhill Desire.
KHUSHALL PLATE CLASS VII DIV II 5F
Sonia 9-1, Lucky Again 9-0, Dinoo Makrani 8-13, Voodoo Doll 8-11, Royal Reach 8-10, Flying Bird 8-8, The Princess 8-7, Miss Maree 8-6 and Yes Neighbour 8-0.
Win: Voodoo Doll
Place: Sonia & Yes Neighbour Yes.
KHUSHALL PLATE CLASS VII DIV I 5F
Bahar-e-Arab 9-3, Smashing Arrow 9-0, Butter Fly 8-12, Summer Wine 8-12, Fantastic Again 8-11, Hot Chocolate 8-6, Dr. Good Head 8-6, Deniro 8-3, Jan-e-Arab Late Ceasar’s) 8-2, Oath 8-2, Thanks Naeem 8-1, Super Salute 8-0, Queen Of Sanghar 8-0, Rahil Prince 7-13, Samba 7-12 and Bold Doll 7-11.
Win: Bahar-e-Arab
Place: Deniro & Summer Wine.
FARAH PLATE CLASS VI 6F
Safeena-e-Arab 9-5, Khas Ul Khas 9-2, Fakhar-e-Sanghar 9-1, Birj-Ul-Arab 9-1, Noor-e-Arab 9-0, Sweet Grandy 8-13, Hip Hop Hunk 8-11, Tharkyee 8-9, Sarazen 8-4, Prime Panther 8-4 and Eye Sore 8-0.
Win: Safeena-e-Arab
Place: Sarazen & Tharkyee.
NOOR PLATE CLASS VI DIV I &II 6F
Donatello 9-6, Wonder Thunder 8-9, Killer Instincts 8-8, Sculptor 8-8, Excalibur 8-2, Sharp Cat 8-1, Penny 7-12 and Strike The Gold 7-10.
Win: Excalibur
Place: Wonder Thunder & Sharp Cat.
DAY’S BEST: Excalibur
GOOD DOUBLE: Voodoo Doll – Bahar-e-Arab.