LAHORE, May 13: Long shot chestnut horse Al Shams produced a performance of high calibre to be a surprise winner in the Ginza Plate class V division III at the Racecourse here on Sunday.

Jockey M. Zulfiqar piloted Al Shams to a three-fourth of a length win against the 80-100 dark-bay colt Drover over sprint distance of 1,000 metres. The well-backed bay mare Tee Star looked a probable winner when he took a commanding lead but lost early advantage.

Al Shams’ victory capped a marvellous week-end for trainer Mohammad Afzal, who sent out his 49th winner during the season in this the seventh and the supporting event of the day.

A race earlier, running with an electrifying thrust of speed, bay filly Quos-e-Qaza collared the front-running colt Big Red in the dying stages of the 1,000 metres race to bag the feature event by three-fourth of a length at the finishing line. Bay filly Magical Time finished third.

The ninth and the last race was keenly contested between colts Aftab Prince and Babu, who in the final 200 metres were seen locked in a ding-dong duel with the former winning by the short margin of a head in a pulsating finish.

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