Lahore Race Club
Encyclopedia
Lahore Race Club, in Lahore
, Punjab
, Pakistan
, is a club concerned with the sport of horse racing
, established in 1924 when Lahore was part of the Punjab Province
of British India.
The club is registered as a company. Some veterans claim that it dates from 1874, but although there were horse races at Lahore during that period the formal record of the present club does not go back so far. It was incorporated on 18 January 1924.
The club's racecourse was initially at Jail Road, Lahore, the current site of Jilani Park
. In 1976, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
's government asked the club to move its races away from the Jail Road course, but it remained there until 1980, when it was compelled to leave.
Races were not held for about fifteen months, but in September 1981 the club reinstated its racing programme on a new course at Kot Lakhpat which has a length of 2,254 metres. Since then, it has gained in strength and now organizes, among other races, the Pakistan Derby.
In June 2005, the club hosted Pakistan's first evening horse race under floodlights. The opening ceremony was attended by Pervez Musharraf
, President of Pakistan
, and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
, crown prince
of Dubai
, who had financed the night-racing project, the cost of which was some Rs 30 million.
The chairman of the club is Tariq Aziz
, former secretary of the National Security Council of Pakistan
and an aide of President Musharraf.
All the power used to light the park is solar.
31°26′20"N 74°19′58"E
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, is a club concerned with the sport of horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
, established in 1924 when Lahore was part of the Punjab Province
Punjab (British India)
Punjab was a province of British India, it was one of the last areas of the Indian subcontinent to fall under British rule. With the end of British rule in 1947 the province was split between West Punjab, which went to Pakistan, and East Punjab, which went to India...
of British India.
The club is registered as a company. Some veterans claim that it dates from 1874, but although there were horse races at Lahore during that period the formal record of the present club does not go back so far. It was incorporated on 18 January 1924.
The club's racecourse was initially at Jail Road, Lahore, the current site of Jilani Park
Jilani Park
Jilani Park is located in the city of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It is on the Jail Road in front of the Services Hospital. It is famous for its floral exhibitions and artificial waterfall. Annual horse racing competitions are held in this park....
. In 1976, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977, and prior to that, 4th President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. Bhutto was the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the largest and most influential political party in Pakistan— and served as its chairman until his...
's government asked the club to move its races away from the Jail Road course, but it remained there until 1980, when it was compelled to leave.
Races were not held for about fifteen months, but in September 1981 the club reinstated its racing programme on a new course at Kot Lakhpat which has a length of 2,254 metres. Since then, it has gained in strength and now organizes, among other races, the Pakistan Derby.
In June 2005, the club hosted Pakistan's first evening horse race under floodlights. The opening ceremony was attended by Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
, President of Pakistan
President of Pakistan
The President of Pakistan is the head of state, as well as figurehead, of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Recently passed an XVIII Amendment , Pakistan has a parliamentary democratic system of government. According to the Constitution, the President is chosen by the Electoral College to serve a...
, and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum , also Sheikh Mohammed, , is the Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates , and absolute monarch of Dubai.-Personal life and education:...
, crown prince
Crown Prince
A crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
of Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, who had financed the night-racing project, the cost of which was some Rs 30 million.
The chairman of the club is Tariq Aziz
Tariq Aziz (bureaucrat)
Tariq Aziz is a close-aide of Pakistani ex-President Pervez Musharraf and the former secretary of the National Security Council. He resigned from the post of NSC secretariat when Musharraf resigned from presidency on 18 August 2008. A former income tax officer, he was a college buddy of Pervez...
, former secretary of the National Security Council of Pakistan
National Security Council of Pakistan
The Prime minister Secretariat National Security Council is a consultative body that is chaired by the President of Pakistan and Prime minister of Pakistan. It is a principal forum that is mandated for considering national security and foreign policy matters with the senior national security...
and an aide of President Musharraf.
All the power used to light the park is solar.
External links
31°26′20"N 74°19′58"E