LAHORE: The first Sunday of March, which features the Pakistan Derby, the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup and the National Breeders Cup classics brings mixed memories of breeders, owners, jockeys and trainers whose steeds marveled by their performance on the Racecourse here in the past.

The pomp and ceremony for a truly unique and colourful occasion that combines highly competitive horse-racing action, leaves nothing compared to the Derby.

Boasting of a magnificent array of thoroughbreds including champions on the track it takes place on March 3 exemplifying elegance and grandeur with a 72-year-long tradition to lean on that makes it the most cherished annual turf event in the country’s racing calendar.

The Derby field sets to feature a dozen contenders as most of them in the run for the honours have had strong finishes in their preparatory outings to strengthen credibility and claim to be real contenders.

In the racing circles, where race fans, owners, trainers gather their main topic of discussion revolves round the Derby and its top most contender.

Instituted in 1947, the Pakistan Derby has since then become an event for great horses, great jockeys, trainers and breeders with the lofty honours attached to the race.

Before Pakistan came into being, the event was known as the Punjab Derby and was first run over 2,000 metres in 1924 during the British rule.

The first Pakistan Derby was also run over the same distance which remained the same till 1954 when 400 metres were added to the race distance to bring it to the international standard Derby distance.

The race was not held in 1978 but was re-introduced in 1979 over the reduced distance of 1,600 metres. The distance was increased to 2,000 metres in 1980 but was brought to international standard of 2,400 metres in 1982. Since then the Derby distance had remained unchanged.

Among owners, the late Syed Ali Mardan Shah, Pir Pagara the VII had been the top Derby winner with the distinction of having four triumphs to his credit. Jockey Ron Flatcher performed a hat-trick of Derby victories in his bag of four triumphs while among trainers Capt. Jack Fownes marvelled in sending out seven Derby winners.

Only three women — Syeda Abida Hussain, Sahibzadi Fareeda Begum and Khalida Yasmeen — among the shining galaxy of owners had the distinction of winning the Derby.

The acceptors for the Derby day races along with the declaration of riders will be announced by the Lahore Race Club (LRC) on Thursday.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2019