Pockets canters to victory in feature event at Lahore races.

Byline: Aftab Gilani

LAHORE -- Chestnut colt Pockets outclassed his fourteen rivals to win the feature event in a magnificent front-running style during the Lahore Winter Meeting at the Racecourse here on Sunday.

As the gates opened, the colt from Irish sire Kavango got off a flying start and led all the way home in the Murree Plate Class VI division III and IV 1,200-metre race to seal a second consecutive victory for the trio of owner Fazeel Asif Jah, trainer A.B. Malik and jockey Tahir Abbas within a fortnight.

Pockets beat favourite bay colt Sahil, ridden by jockey Mohammad Hanif and trained by Rashid Latif, by one and a half lengths, while bay colt Jharra finished third with colt Lorenzo fourth.

The success of Pockets was the second success of jockey Tahir, who had earlier piloted home bay horse Royal Runner in the third race that spurred him in to a further triumph to complete a superb hat-trick of victories when he strode home chestnut filly Cameo in the sixth race of the day to end the day in a blaze of glory.

It was a day of mixed fortunes between the punters and the turf accountants when four well-backed horses won in card of seven races. The race-goers were entertained to some close and thrilling encounters to their great enjoyment on a chilly afternoon.

The Lahore Race Club (LRC) chairman Makhdum Syed Mahmud and steward Mahmood Rafi Khan along with co-opted steward Mohammad Adil Hayat supervised the Sunday's racing.

Results:

THE KAGHAN PLATE CLASS VII DIV V - 1,100M:

Baa Aitbaar (Shiraz Butt) 7-10, Ghulam Haider 1; Bano 7-10, Mohammad Sajjad 2; Days Gone 8-6, Zain Manzoor 3; Good Action 8-10, Deenar Mirwani 4.

Won by A3/4 L, 3 L, 2A1/2 L. Time: one minute 11 4/5 seconds. Winner trained by S. Butt.

THE KAGHAN PLATE CLASS VII DIV IV- and V - 1,100M:

Prince Of Multan (Asghar Ali) 8-6, Mohammad Hanif 1; Khabib 8-8, Alam Sher 2; Artghal 8-0, Deenar Mirwani 3; Push The Limits 8-8, Ghaus Bakhsh 4.

Won by 1A3/4 L, A1/2 L, 5 L. Time: one minute 10 1/5 seconds. Winner trained by Babar Bhatti.

THE KAGHAN PLATE CLASS VII DIV IV - 1,100M:

Royal Runner (Ayaz Hussain Bhutta)...