Footage of a young racehorse’s debut on the track has gone viral over the weekend, due in part to patriotic pride, but mostly because of the horse’s incredible comeback and triumphant win.
Pakistan Star (#6), a three-year-old horse, has thrilled netizens (particularly from Pakistan) with his performance during a griffin race at the Sha Tin Racecourse on Friday with rider Matthew Chadwick. A “griffin” is a local term for a horse which hasn’t ever won a race, or has never raced at all.
Following a clumsy start out of the gate, the young gelding looked doomed to finish last.
He remained lengths behind his competitors for two-thirds of the race before suddenly gaining speed, catching up with the frontrunners just 50 metres from the end.
Finally, he dashed across finish line, eliciting an ecstatic “Wowee!” from the commentator.
“[Griffin races are] highly unpredictable, as there is no track performance to follow,” a Hong Kong racehorse owner explained to Coconuts HK. “But sometimes there are these future star horses which just blow people away with how well they do on their first race.”
That certainly seems the case with Pakistan Star, whose performance has already made waves online, especially with Pakistani netizens, who have heralded the horse as a beacon of pride for their nation.
According to Pakistan Star’s profile on the Jockey Club’s website, however, it appears that the young horse actually hails from Germany.
His owner, a Hong Kong-based businessman called Kerm Din, also owns horses called Pakistan Baby and Pakistan Treasure (retired), and co-owns two retired geldings called Glory of Pakistan and Pakistan Hero. No guesses as to where he’s from, then!
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been edited for clarity.
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