My Guest lands Quaid-i-Azam Gold Cup in style
KARACHI: Favourite four-year-old bay colt My Guest lived up to his top billing while landing the prized Quaid-i-Azam Gold Cup in style before a packed-to-capacity house in the Gymkhana race meeting at the Karachi Racecourse on Saturday.
Having won the Shah Mardan Shah II Pir Pagara Memorial Cup run over a Mile on Nov 29, the 30 to 100 favourite clocked two minutes 39 3/5 seconds for the gruelling 12 furlongs race to make it two on the trot.
Owned by Makhdoom Syed Ahmed Mehmood and trained by veteran rider-turned-trainer Shahid Rehman, My Guest was given a perfect ride by Aamer Pervaiz.
The triumph of My Guest helped the Lahore-based trio (owner, trainer, rider) to achieve distinction by winning The Derby and The Quaid-i-Azam Gold Cup the same year.
It was yet an honour for rider Aamer who piloted home both the winning horses – Celebrations in The Derby and My Guest in The Quaid-i-Azam Gold Cup.
“I was confident that My Horse will oblige punters and he did in a start-to-finish bid,” an elated 42-year-old Aamer told Dawn soon after riding the horse to glory.
“I’m happy that I had recaptured The Quaid-i-Azam Gold Cup exactly after two decades the previous being Miss Malook in 1995,” he said in reply to a question.
“As rider I’ve won the Quaid-i-Azam Gold Cup in 2007 but as a trainer this is my first success,” Shahid Rehman, a recipient of Pride of Performance told Dawn.
Syed Ismail Shah received the cup on behalf of owner from the KRC president Syed Sadruddin Shah in the paddock after the race. The rider and trainer also received their shields.
In addition, the winning horse earned winning stake purse of Rs7,000. My Guest set the pace soon after the start as four horses contested following withdrawal of Bolan One. The winning horse gets the better of Jahalwan Blue by seven-and-a-half lengths.
Hot Man and National Queen followed the top two in the same order.
Aamer along with local rider Sohail Ahmed equally shared six winning horses amongst themselves. The latter’s success also include two cup races.
Sohail opened his account by guiding fancied colt Chester to a facile two-and-a-half lengths victory over Rainbow in the second race. In the next, he powered colt Andaaz to three-and-a-half lengths victory over colt Jagga Jasoos to land The Stewards Cup.
In the fifth he partnered second favourite filly Honey Queen to seven-and-a-half lengths victory over first favourite filly Gamez Over to claim The 2000 Guineas of Pakistan.
Befors the Gold Cup, Aamer shone in the saddle by claiming The X-Mas Cup guiding colt Edgar to two-and-a-half lengths victory. He completed the treble when filly Saddle the Wind romped home by six lengths.
Results:
THE CHRISTMAS PLATE SCALE ORDER VIII 5 F:
Place Your Bet (Mr. Yaqoob Habib) 8-7 Ghulam Shabbir II, 1, Nany 8-8 M. Sajjad 2, Doctor 8-8(cr8-1) M. Qais 3, My One 8-7 Pervaiz Ali 4.Won by 10 ½ L, 1 L, ¾ L. Time: One minute 5 3/5 seconds. Winner trained by Ghulam Shabbir II.
THE CHRISTMAS PLATE SCALE ORDER VII AND VIII 5 F:
Chester (Mr. Fazal Karim) 8-3 Sohail Ahmed 1, Rainbow 8-13(cr8-6) M. Qais 2, Khanayaal 8-9 Mohammed Essa 3, King’s Hand 8-11 Zaki Zakir 4. Won by 2 ½ L, 2 ½ L, 2 ½ L. Time: One minute 6 2/5 seconds. Winner trained by Mohyuddin.
THE STEWARDS CUP SCALE ORDER V, VI AND VII 5 F:
Andaaz (Mr. Gul Mohammad Rajar) 7-12(cr7-13) Sohail Ahmed 1, Jagga Jasoos 8-0(cr7-7) M. Qais 2, Vieto Power 8-0 Riaz Ahmed 3, Live Long 7-4 Zaki Zakir 4.Won by 3 ½ L, Neck, 2 ½ L. Time: One minute 5 3/5 seconds. Winner trained by Abid Ali Jan.
THE X-MAS CUP SCALE ORDER I, II AND III 5 F:
Edgar (Mr. Zain Rahim) 8-10 Aamer Pervaiz 1, Arsenal 10-0 Mohammad Essa 2, Dancing Queen 7-0(cr7-1) Zaki Zakir 3, Wild Wish 7-8(cr7-13) Sohail Ahmed 4.Won by 2 ½ L, 2 ½ l, 4 L. Time: One minute 2 3/5 seconds. Winner trained by Shahid Rehman.
THE 2000 GUINEAS OF PAKISTAN – A TERM RACE FOR THREE-YEAR-OLD PAK COLTS AND FILLIES – I MILE:
Honey Queen (Haji Khuda Bux Rajar) 8-4 Sohail Ahmed 1, Gamez Over 8-4 Ghulam Shabbir II, 2, Kick 8-7 Tariq Baran 3, Drone 8-7 M. Qais 4.Won by 7 ½ L, 7 L, 9 L. Time: One minute 45 1/5 seconds. Winner trained by Abid Ali Jan.
THE QUAID-I-AZAM GOLD CUP – A HANDICAP RACE FOR THREE-YEAR-OLD AND UPWARD PAK HORSES –12 F:
My Guest (Makhdoom Syed Ahmed Mehmood) 7-11 Aamer Pervaiz 1, Jahalwan Blue 7-13 Waheed Baran 2, Hot Man 8-10 Ghulam Shabbir II, 3, National Queen 7-13 Sohail Ahmed 4.Won by 9 ½ L, distance. Time: Two minutes 39 3/5 seconds. Winner trained by Shahid Rehman.
THE CHRISTMAS PLATE SCALE ORDER III AND IV 5 F:
Saddle The Wind (Mr. Zain Rahim) 7-6 Aamer Pervaiz 1, Captaan 8-0 Wasim 2, Wait A Second 8-2 Zaki Zakir 3, Touch N Go 7-6 M. Hanif 4.Won by 6 L, S. Head, 2 ½ L. Time: One minute 3 2/5 seconds. Winner trained by Shahid Rehman.
