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A chance visit to the stables of Narendra Lagad last year proved rewarding for Kareem Dhanani on Thursday. The new race horse owner was delighted see his colt Maseeha beat a more fancied bunch and win him the Longines Classic Trophy and an expensive wrist watch from the world famous Longines Sports collection. Narendra Lagad was having a party at his stables and the famous Kareem’s chain of hotels was the caterer. Kareem Dhanani, the owner of the chain, paid a visit to the venue to ensure that the guests were well taken care of and relished the dinner. As luck would have it, Kareem chanced upon an unnamed colt and instantly took a strong liking to it. Wasting no time, he immediately approached the trainer with a proposal to buy the colt. Recalling the night, Narendra Lagad said, “It was a totally unexpected offer. I was further perplexed when he told me he was not a Rrace enthusiast and hadn’t owned a horse ever before! I tried to reason with him that race horses are not usually bought on whims but he wouldn’t budge. He was insistent on purchasing the colt and seeing his keenness I didn’t have a heart to turn him down. The very next day he returned with his cheque book and the deal was done.” The Champion Trainer had a new owner in his stables. “It is always a pleasure when a new owner joins in particularly someone new to the races as well,” narrated Lagad. “However, Kareem was somewhat unique; his strange request was certainly so. He told me that his new colt was like a son to him and that it should not be whipped no matter what! This amused me but his love for the colt was evident and I assured him that while taking good care was assured, a crack or two while racing wouldn’t hurt the colt at all.” Kareem named the colt “Maseeha”. The colt reciprocated the love of his owner by delighting him with a fluent victory in a tough bunch, warding off a stiff challenge, defying the odds and eventually setting up a date for his jubilant owner with the charming Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the paddock waiting to present him the World Famous Longines watch! Did I tell you that Nadeem Alam, the jockey who partnered Maseeha is an apprentice and is not allowed the use of whip?
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