Richest prize at stake in Pakistan Derby 2020

The annual classic of the country turf, the Pakistan Derby 2020, being held at the Lahore Racecourse on Sunday, will be the richest ever in its history.

A record purse of Rs 2 million will be presented to the winning owner while the owner of colt or filly earning second and third place will be awarded Rs 600,000 and Rs 300,000, respectively. 

The race is being sponsored by the Jamal Din Wali (JWD) industrial and business enterprise owned by the Lahore Race Club (LRC) chairman Makhdum Syed Ahmad Mahmud.

The LRC has announced a total prize money of Rs 75,75,000 for horses placed first, second and third in the twelve events carded for the Derby Day racing. 

The action on Sunday includes seven cup races, with three Memorial Cups to keep alive the memory of Choudhry Ahmad Saeed, besides former chairman Syed Abid Hussain and Syed Wajid Ali Shah, a leading sports administrator of his time.

The Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup winner will pocket Rs 800,000 while the horse earning second position will receive Rs 300,000. 

The added monetary incentive has caught the attention of owners, trainers and riders, who will be getting a fixed percentage from the prize money.

The Pakistan Derby, which was first held back in 1948, has long been a showpiece event.

From the start it has brought together the best long distance track performers from different bloodlines over generations. It is now firmly established as a jewel in the crown of Lahore’s classic racing calendar.

Indeed no other race can boast of such a star-studded roll of honour for the 2400-meter spectacle which will take place for the 70th time this month.

Before the establishment of Pakistan the prestigious event was known as Punjab Derby.