LAHORE, May 22: The bay mare Hot Spell completed a hat-trick of victories for owner Sohrab Khan when she won the feature event run over 800 metres during the mid-week Lahore Gymkhana races at the Racecourse on Wednesday.
The winner backed confidently at 3 to 2 was steered by riding boy A. Aziz, her regular partner in the saddle.
Hot Spell defeated the second favourite Devi Husn Ki by three lengths. The chestnut filly Royal Prosper and the bay gelding Fifty Six Fifty Six , who were never in the run for supremacy completed the board. Ten ran for the sixth and last event in which Hot Spell clocked 50 3/5 seconds for the distance. Trainer Amjad Ali II saddled the winner.
The outstanding performance of the day came in the fifth and supporting event when the 5 to 2 second favourite Rambo ‘s Way humbled the fancied Imagine If to win by three-quarters of a length in a close finish. The colt Rambo’s Way was astutely ridden by jockey Aamar Parvez, who returned to saddle after three months absence.
The day’s races began on a violent note. As the horses taking part in the first race returned to the paddock a section of the crowd started demonstration voicing their resentment at the “dismal showing” of the popularly backed mounts. In the meantime someone fired a shot in the air.
The policemen posted on duty caught the man with his pistol. They also arrested Jawad Niazi, who led the section of agitators. Police gave Jawad Niazi a good beating, handcuffed him and put him in the jeep. Two policemen continued beating him. Later they took both the men away.
Two riding boys were injured during the fourth race when their mounts collided with each other. Riding boy Qamar Zaman (Time To Lead) and riding boy Azhar Hussain (Rocket Fuel) were taken to hospital.
The following are the results:
Talagang Plate Class VII Division VIII 800 Metres:
Easy Come Easy Go (Choudhry Mohammad Iqbal) 7-10 M. Jehangir 1. Lovely Diana 7-10 Shahid Mustafa 2. Last Love 8-1 M. Nawaz (II) 3. Delta Song 8-3 Shahnawaz 4. (All 14 ran).
Won by Short-head, 5 L, Head.
Time 53 2/5 seconds.
Winner trainer by the owner.
Talagang Plate Class VII Division VII 800 Metres:
Golden Time (Mohammad Yaqoob) 8-1 Nadeem Ikram 1. Copperfield 8-11 Anwar Khan 2. Royal Man 9-0 A. Aziz 3. Silver Baby 8-11 Kamran 4. (All ten ran).
Won by Neck, 3/4 L, Neck.
Time 54 1/5 seconds.
Winner trained by Shakir Ali.
Talagang Plate Class VII Division VII (A) 800 Metres:
Lucky Super Market 7-13 Nazir Ahmad 1. King Panther 8-1 Shehzad Ahmad 2. Hot Press 9-0 Javed Bashir 3. Jonty Road 8-2 Nadeem Ikram 4. (Only six ran).
Won by Distance, 4 1/4 L, 3 1/2 L.
Time 53 2/5 seconds.
Winner trained by Malik Manga Khan.
Talagang Plate Class VII Division VI 800 Metres:
Jehandar (Syed Tasweer Hussain Shah) 7-12 Qasim Shah 1. Abr-e-Bahar 9-0 A. Aziz 2. Sunny The Great 7-10 Shahid Mustafa 3. Subzero 7-12 Shehzad Ahmad 4. (Only 17 ran).
Won by 1 3/4 L, Neck, 4 3/4 L.
Time 54 1/5 seconds.
Winner trained by Sohail Aziz.
Talagang Plate Class VII Division V 800 Metres:
Rambo’s Way 7-12 Aamar Parvez 1. Imagine If 7-12 M. Jehangir 2. Best In Show 8-11 M. Nawaz (II) 3. Little Master 8-2 Nadeem Ikram 4. (Only 15 ran).
Won by 3/4 L, 4 L, 1 1/4 L.
Time 51 2/5 seconds.
Winner trained by A. Mir.
Talagang Plate Class VII Division IV 800 Metres:
Hot Spell (Soharb Khan & Hamza Khan) 7-12 A. Aziz 1. Devi Husn Ki 7-10 F. Qamar 2. Royal Prosper 8-13 Zahid Ali 3. Fifty Six Fifty Six 8-2 A. Imran 4. (All ten ran).
Won by 3 L, 3 1/2 L, 2 1/4 L.
Time 50 2/5 seconds.
Winner trained by Amjad Ali II.
Breaking rules: Breaking rules seems no bar for the LRC officials.
Bay colt Thunder Storm entered for Wednesday’s races by the LRC officials themselves against the club rules. Thunder Storm’s name was not included in the runners for the fifth race in handicaps released Tuesday.
The owner of the grey horse Imagine If raised an alarm over its inclusion and demanded from the stewards to withdraw Thunder Storm from the race. Since all was against the rules of racing the colt Thunder Storm had to be withdrawn from the race on Wednesday. The race was however, won by Rambo’s Way.