LAHORE, Aug 10: If nothing goes wrong with her this time, Arooj, can make amends to win the feature event to be run over 900 metres during the Lahore Gymkhana races at the Racecourse Sunday.
The five-year-old chestnut daughter of Live For Others, Arooj, is appearing in the fifth and feature event, The Mianwali Plate, a class III, IV & V combined handicap race.
Arooj has already won three races in-a-row and was beaten narrowly by the bay gelding Think Thank last Sunday (Aug 4). Racing Pundits attributed her defeat to poor horsemanship by jockey Aamar Parvez. Arooj should pick up the spoils with a good rider astride.
From her eight rivals, the ones likely to give her tough fight are the five-year-old bay Blu’s Wendy (Blu’s Maid- Whisper Of Wendy) and another bay Half Love (Blu’s Love- Harless). Both are fine speedsters.
The four-year-old halfbred filly Devi Husn Ki, a progeny of Flaming Arrow out-of-Nis Nas, looks set to win the top honours in the fourth and supporting event to be run over the identical distance.
Devi Husn Ki had been performing extra-ordinarily over the last two months and should add to another victory to her credit. Green Hill, Thunder Storm and Early Bird should form the line of challengers among ten contestants in the field for the Sargodha Plate, a class VII division I & II combined race.
Chestnut filly Early Bird, who had finished third in the Pakistan Derby last March, had been behaving erratically in her previous outings on July 14 and Aug 4. If she comes up to a level start she is capable of springing a surprise.
The third race, a class VII division III event, has the biggest field of 17 runners barring last-minute withdrawals. This is the most difficult of the five events card to pick a winner. But the most interesting aspect of this event is that almost every runner has a chance.
Inspite of the presence of a couple of high pedigreed contestants, the handicapper has tried his utmost to level chances of all. But in most of the cases in the past it has been observed in such events that majority of the horses have not been tried because owners hesitated to take risks when not sure of victory or a place.
A card of five events will be seen through in the afternoon.
Following are the fields and our selections:
SARGODHA PLATE CLASS VII DIVISION V 900 METRES:
Bacha Jamoora 9-0 Dancing Margina 9-0 Show Counting 8-9 Badal 8-2 Sherganzer 7-10 Densee 7-10 New Valley 7-10 Canopy 7-10 and Super Time 7-10.
Win: Dancing Margina. Place: Badal and Super Time.
SARGODHA PLATE CLASS VII DIVISION IV 900 METRES:
Hot Spell 9-0 Senna 8-13 Little Master 8-12 Qaswa Princess 8-9 Time Is Gold 8-9 Flight Alert 8-4 White Line 8-3 Haseen Love 8-1 Al Jarrar 8-0 Burrat Again 7-13 Puma Star 7-12 Russian Pet 7-10 Caspian Queen 7-10 and Thank You Dear 7-10.
Win: Time Is Gold. Place: Qaswa Princess and Haseen Love.
SARGODHA PLATE CLASS VII DIVISION III 900 METRES:
Silk Route 9-2 Al Zarrar 8-12 Waseem Love 8-12 My Own Business 8-12 Good Justice 8-12 Royal Prosper 8-10 Red Storm 8-9 Voodoo Dancer 8-6 Asif Love 8-3 Khush Naseeb 8-1 Thank You Boss 7-10 Rukhtas Again 7-10 Zuhair Choice 7-10 Paddock Fancy 7-10 Lady Handsome 7-10 In Command 7-10 and Royal Bullet.
Win: Rukhtas Again. Place: Silk Route and In Command.
SARGODHA PLATE CLASS VII DIVISION I & II 900 METRES:
Crysler 9-2 Devi Husn Ki 9-1 Daring Eagle 8-10 Sound Of Music 8-4 Green Hill 8-3 Thunder Storm 8-0 Afnan 7-11 Hot Spur 7- 10 Early Bird 7-10 and Imagine If 7-10.
Win: Devi Husn Ki. Place: Green Hill and Thunder Storm.
MIANWALI PLATE CLASS III, IV & V 900 METRES:
Hard Press 12-0 Think Thank 11-0 Half Love 10-5 Gambling Girl 9-8 Blu’s Wendy 8-10 Perfect Timing 8-1 Might And Power 8-1 Arooj 8-0 and Star Gate 7-10.
Win: Arooj. Place: Blu’s Wendy and Half Love.