Horse racing in Pakistan
Galloping horses against each other is a sight worth the money. Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has been practiced over the centuries. The event turned into a professional sport in the year 1702 and evolved till the year 1714. Today, it is counted amongst the most widely watched and played sports of the world. The names of the major races run at the International level include the Kentucky Derby in America, the Dubai World Cup in Dubai and the Melbourne cup in Australia.
Let us now see how Pakistan is dealing with the sport they call horse racing. In 1947, when Pakistan came into being, there were only two race courses in Pakistan, one at the Karachi Race Club and the second one at the Lahore Race Club. After few years, the trend of horseracing became more common in Pakistan and two more racecourses were introduced. The first one was inaugurated in the city of Gujrat which was named as the Gujrat Race Club. The second one was built in the city of Rawalpindi which neighbours the capital city of Pakistan. Today, the thoroughbred flat horse races in Pakistan are held at all four racecourses namely the Lahore Race Club, Chakri in Rawalpindi, at the Karachi Race Club and at the elegant Gujrat Race Club.
The oldest race club in Pakistan is known as the Karachi Race Club (KRC). The Karachi Race Club was established in 1913 in the city of Karachi. At that time, racing was held at the racecourse behind the Cantonment Railway Station. Then in 1989, the Race Club was moved to its present location at Deh Safroon, Main University Road. Today, this sport has a firm grip in the city primarily because seven to ten races are held on every Sunday at Karachi Race Club. Undoubtedly, Karachi Race Club (KRC) is the biggest race course of Pakistan. It attracts visitors from all across the country.
The second oldest horse racing club is the Lahore Race Club. The Lahore Race Club was established in 1924. At that time, Lahore was part of the Punjab Province of British India. Initially, the club’s racecourse was situated at Jail Road, Lahore. Unfortunately, they were compelled to leave that place. And the new one they chose was in the suburban area of Kot Lakhpat in Lahore. Even today, the horse races are held at this site. The length of the LRC racecourse is about 2,254 metres. After this incident, races were not held for about fifteen months. But then in September 1981, the Lahore Race Club arranged a horse race at this new venue. Since then, the popularity of this sport has gained in strength. In June 2005, the club hosted Pakistan’s first evening horse race under floodlights. The opening ceremony was attended by some of the legendary personalities of Pakistan including Pervez Musharraf, the President of Pakistan and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai. He was the one who had financed the night-racing project with a total cost of Rs. 30 million.
The third horse racing centre in Pakistan is known as the Gujrat Racing Club, which holds races on open grounds. The District of Gujrat is famous for the sport of ‘Tent Pegging’ which is often referred to as an equestrian sport with skill-at-arms. This is a sport in which a mounted rider riding at full gallop comes with a sword or a lance, to pierce and carry away a small ground target or a series of targets. The Gujrat Race Club has been working on encouraging a number of tent-pegging clubs in Pakistan to train riders for flat thoroughbred racing. The club is small if compared to the standards of Lahore and Karachi, but it is making steady progress every day. They have proved this by establishing new stables and a racing school.
The racecourse at Rawalpindi is situated at a place called Chakri. It is not very well-known among the horse racing world. But it welcomes its visitors with an amazing racecourse, where the horse races can run wild.
Talking about the major races in Pakistan, a few of them are also organised under the name of Pakistan Derby which is held at the Lahore Race Club. Meanwhile the Quid-e-Azam Gold Cup, the New Year Cup and the Karachi Derby are held at Karachi Race Club.
In Pakistan, the Jockey Club of Pakistan is another important pillar for horse racing at Rakh Chandra in Kot Lakhpat, Lahore. It is the governing authority responsible for the sport of horse racing in the country. This club is dedicated for improving this sport and is investing for the future endeavours to bring Pakistan on to the international level of horse racing.
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