LAHORE, Feb 26: The joint owners of a Derby contender, the colt Swing, Mian Maahir Ahmad and Mahmood Khan, have made a fervent appeal to the Lahore Race Club (LRC) stewards to allow a suspended jockey to ride their colt in the Derby race.

In a written appeal the owners said that they were in a fix as to whom to engage to ride their colt in the Derby race and requested the LRC stewards to waive the suspension of jockey Aamar Parvaiz and allow him to ride Swing in the Derby race only.

As all other good jockeys in Lahore have been booked and they are left with no choice but to appeal for Aamar’s services.

They cited example of jockey Salah-ud-Din (II) who was allowed by the LRC stewards to ride the colt Zoro in the Derby Trial on Sunday last and he won the race.

Swing was placed second in the same race.

It is pertinent to mention here that Aamar Parvaiz was suspended for three months for his unsatisfactory riding on the colt Alexander in the Nero Cup on Feb 5 last. He was suspended on owner’s complaint.

On receiving the appeal the stewards called the owners and gave them a patient hearing and their decision is yet to be announced but Mahmood Khan told Dawn that he was hopeful for a favourable response because Swing having services of a good rider would be in the reckoning and the stewards want the Derby to a competitiveness event. —A.G.