LAHORE: A card of six races, loaded with mediocre runners, awaits race-goers during the 26th Lahore Winter Meeting at the Racecourse here on Sunday.

The feature event, the Faisal Abad Cup, a class VI Division III and IV combined handicap race to be gone over 1,100 metres has a big field of full starting gate capacity of eighteen runners.

If form, past and present performance in races is any yardstick to measure the capabilities of acceptors six of them qualify to be reckoned with the chance. They are: Sumy Choice, Phenomenal One, Dazzling, Alizeh Star, River Rose and Ned’s Dream.

The bay colt after winning a good race in October last has not been seen in competition which raises some doubts about his fitness. But the time he clocked was fast and must be fit and in fine trim, if declared on Sunday.

Grey filly Phenominal One ran second to Victim of Love in the Makhdumzada Syed Hassan Mahmud Memorial New Year Cup to make her claim sound, after a six-week further training. The bay filly Dazzling has won her maiden race in a small field, and chestnut filly River Rose won a race but finished a fourth behind Love You True, Dazzling and Alizeh’s Star subsequently in a dismal show of a lower class filly. The dark-bay Ned’s Dream, is a well composed colt and relishes the distance and should be among the quartet fighting for the honours so it looks an open race.

The other five races on the card belong to different divisions of Class VII have been heavily subscribed by a major thrust of unknown pedigree horses.

With the exception of the sixth and the last race, the other events are loaded with a dozen to 17 runners, with at least five of them on chance in each race to make it a competitive card.

There are some new entrants or running after an absence of couple of months from the track, some have not even appeared on the board yet and their strength and capabilities have yet been exposed fully. The track work often is misguiding about the potentialities of runners because sometimes it is blown up on unrealistic track work.

In all, 85 horses make the field for the six events drawn for the Sunday’s programme, which will start at 1200 noon.

Meanwhile, the unprecedented record breaking triumph of Pakistani thoroughbred, Big Bravo, who overwhelmed his seven imported thoroughbreds in cup race contested over 1,600 metres, is at present a topic of discussion in the racing circles here.

Mahmood Khan, a prominent owner said the five-year-old home-bred horse’s success has put him at 80 to 85 in the international standard rating while his rivals, all imported thoroughbreds has lesser rating as compared to Big Bravo.

The Pakistani thoroughbred has won nine races in 10 outings and over Rs3 million in prize money, the highest-ever amount won by any horse in Pakistan yet, Mahmood told Dawn on Saturday. He is undoubtedly a super Pakistan bred horse, a pride of Pakistan breeding industry..

Big Bravo’s brilliant C.V. includes his success in Naunehal Cup for two-year-old, National Breeders Cup and the Jinnah Cup for three-year-old and the Derby Trials, The Pakistan Derby 2017 and the Quaid-i-Azam Cup triumph as four-year-old. His next appearance is probably in the Queen Elizabeth, the second, Challenge Cup scheduled for next Sunday.

Following is the field and selections:

THE CEASAR PLATE CLASS VII DIV V-B — 1,000M:

Rowdy 9-0, Shafay Mari Jan 8-10, Lucky Sohna 8-10, Daniel Bryan 8-8, Jungle Cat 8-8, Sonay Ke Chirya 8-6, Fizzy 8-2, Aroma Prince 8-2, Chal Saamney 8-0, Kamal Prince 7-12, Kahkashan 7-10.

Win: Sonay Ke Chirya.

Place: Rowdy and Daniel Bryan.

THE CEASAR PLATE CLASS VII DIV V-A — 1,000M:

Dancing Baby 8-12, Sarfraz 8-12, Crazy Cat Lady 8-11, Shahenshah (RRC) 8-12, Dil-e-Arzoo (RRC) 8-12, On The Spot Win 8-12, Rawal Naz 8-8, Sayban-e-Bhakkar 8-8, Ripper 8-8, Mahmoor Prince 8-8, Furious 8-8, Neel Kanwal 8-8, Stella 8-8, Fly To Finish 8-6, Gambler Boy 8-6, Snow Ball 8-6.

Win: On The Spot Win.

Place: Stella and Gambler Boy.

THE CEASAR PLATE CLASS VII DIV IV & V — 1,000M:

Happiness Moment 9-0, Aftab Princess 9-0, Stone Queen 8-12, Uzair Prince 8-10, Sign of Blessing 8-10, King Queen 8-8, Dhandhla Queen 8-6, Rashk-e-Qamar (RRC) 8-6, Buzkushi 8-6, Objection (late Piyara Jutt) 8-10, Star of Sky 8-4, My Secret 8-4, Khudu 8-4, Rani Shah De 8-4, Fakhta 8-4, Dil De Ruba 8-2, Party Time 7-10.

Win: Aftab Princess.

Place: Sign of Blessing and Happiness Moment.

THE CEASAR PLATE CLASS VII DIV III & IV — 1,000M:

Baa Asool 9-0, Baa Maqsad 9-0, Great Puma 9-0, Baa Wafa 9-0, Mmanu Jutt 8-10, One Four Seven 8-10, Dollar Box 8-10, Dil Wali 8-10, New Sonia 8-8, Sweet Sania 8-6, Chan Punjabi 8-6, Aye Rukhsar 8-6, Golden Pound 8-4 Grey Invader 8-0 Dubai Marina 8-0, Shoaib Princess 8-0.

Win: New Sonia.

Place: Dil Wali and Golden Pound.

THE FAISAL ABAD CUP CLASS VI DIV III & IV — 1,100M:

Sumy Choice 9-4, Last Dance 9-0, Montreal 9-0, Phenominal One 9-0, Sparking 9-0, Dazzling 9-0, Sikandar Prince 8-10, No Conflict 8-10, Anas Star 8-10, Big Act 8-10, Meri Jan 8-10, Nanook 8-6, Sultan Multan 8-6, Salam-e-Dera 8-6, Asaas 8-6, Alizeh’s Star 8-6, Ned’s Dream 8-4, River Rose 8-2.

Win: Sumy Choice.

Place: Phenomenal One and Dazzling.

Upset: Ned’s Dream.

THE CEASAR PLATE CLASS VII DIV I & II — 1,000M:

Banjo 9-2, Abdullah Princess 8-12, Salam-e-Kaif 8-6, Regular 8-6, Neeli The Great 8-4, Zain Love 8-4, Green Magic 8-0.

Win: Banjo.

Place: Salam-e-Kaif and Abdullah Princess.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2018