LRC to stage six races today.

LAHORE -- A moderate six-event card - featuring two cup races - will be the highlight of the Lahore Winter Meeting at the Racecourse here on Sunday.

The races that have been programmed have not been for the top horses as the Pakistan Derby is scheduled to be held on (March 7 and owners and trainers are concentrating on the Pakistan Derby Day Equine Festival.

The classic races - Pakistan Derby, National Breeders Cup and Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup - besides two other cups, the Syed Abid Hussain Memorial Cup named after Pakistan's leading Stud owner and Syed Wajid Ali Shah Memorial Cup named after the international acclaimed sports administrator will be the highlights of the racing festival.

The Lahore Race Club (LRC) chairman Makhdum Syed Ahmad Mahmud is presently busy in giving final touches to Derby Day festival of racing while owners and trainers are engaged conditioning their charges in prime fitness to bring laurels to their bloodline fame, the owner, the trainer and the jockey alike. Top four-year-old thoroughbred from superior bloodlines will be vying for top honours in the events.

A LRC steward speaking to Dawn said efforts are under way to hold the big day racing in a traditional pomp and show to make it a grand success. With the initiation of reforms and record purses are on offer to help promote the sport and the breeding besides ameliorating the lot of common rung of owners, which reflects a healthy change. The reform introduced by the Makhdum and the seeds of change sown by him are flowering for the good of racing, breeding and benefiting stake-holders alike, the Khan added.

Sunday's card is being participated only by moderate horses belonging to different divisions of class VII under the LRC rules of racing. The first race will be held at 1.00pm.

Following is the field and selection:

THE THEEK HAI PLATE CLASS VII DIV V (MAIDENS) - 1,000M:

Tatla Princess 9-0, Zaman Sahib 8-10, Chota Pathan 8-10, English Girl 8-10, Trick Or Treat 8-6, Black Storm 8-4, Mehrban 8-4.

Win: Tatla Princess.

Place: Black Storm and Zaman Sahib.

THE THEEK HAI PLATE CLASS VII DIV V - 1,000M:

Tatla Pride 9-2...