Win or lose, Frankie Dettori is sure to receive an emotional send-off after he dismounts from Country Grammer in the 27th edition of the Dubai World Cup at Meydan on Saturday.
The charismatic Italian, who is set to retire at the end of the year, is booked on seven of the eight thoroughbred races on the nine-race card that also include a prize for Purebred Arabians.
Dettori, 53, rides Country Grammer, winner of last year's $12 million Dubai World Cup race and bidding to become only the second horse after Godolphin’s Thunder Snow to win the coveted prize twice.
Should he be successful, Dettori will also become the most successful jockey in the history of the Dubai World Cup race with five wins. He is currently tied on four wins with American Hall of Famer Jerry Bailey.
Country Grammer has been consistent. The six-year-old son of Tonalist has never finished lower than fifth, and not beyond the first two in his last nine starts, which includes two runner-up finishes in the $20 million Saudi Cup as well as his victory in the Dubai World Cup last March.
He has won five of his 15 starts, and finishing runner-up six times, once third, and was fourth in his racecourse debut.
However, the Bob Baffert-trained bay will have to deal with a wide draw from Gate 14 in the 15-runner field.
Jimmy Barnes, Baffert’s assistant, is quietly confident Dettori will use all his experience of more than three decades in the saddle to guide Country Grammer to victory.
“It's a mile-and-a-quarter race and we'll leave it up to Frankie and he'll work something out,” Barnes said.
Country Grammer is a stalker and how well Dettori can settle him in the field over the 2,000-metre trip on the dirt surface will be crucial.
“It’s not going to be easy and Stall 14 is not ideal,” Dettori said. “I spoke to [owner] Amir Zidan last night and just said that it is what it is. We can’t change it now so let’s get on with it and see how the race unfolds.
“I can’t really say a bad word about Country Grammer because if you look at his form he’s all guts – he’s a proper horse.
“The way that he ran in the San Antonio Stakes [on December 26], he was just sharp and was easy. I was outpaced around the turn and I thought I was in trouble, but the same as last year in the World Cup, he just doesn’t know how to give up.
“Sometimes he runs out of runway but you just know that he’s going to give you everything he’s got.”
In the Saudi Cup last month, Country Grammer was full of running towards the end and just beaten by Panthalassa by three-quarters of a length. Stepping up in distance in Dubai, he should be able to turn that result around on the Japanese raider, drawn even worse, in Gate 15.
With Algiers, the in-form local entry who has won his last two races at Meydan, also drawn wide in Gate 13, makes this Dubai World Cup race one of the most exciting in recent years.
Ushba Tesoro and T O Keynes are among the other two Japanese runners of note while the 2022 Saudi Cup winner Emblem Road, Bhupat Seemar’s pair Remorse and Bendoog, and Bahraini trainer Fawzi Nass’ Salute The Soldier are the long shots.
Algiers has been a revelation. He was impressive in the Al Maktoum Challenge Rounds 1 and 2 but skipped Super Saturday’s Round 3 of the series to go into Saturday's big race fresh .
“We’re incredibly excited about him,” Simon Crisford, joint-trainer of Algiers with his son Ed, said of their first Dubai World Cup runner.
“It obviously means a lot to myself and Ed, but we’ve been very lucky and blessed that the horse was allocated to us by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed [bin Rashid] when he came from France to here.
“The horse really transformed for racing on this surface. He was a very rock solid 110 [rating] horse on turf. But since he’s been running on this race track [dirt], which really plays to his strengths, he’s stepped up to another level and he’s now running to 120.”
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
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- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Seven tips from Emirates NBD
1. Never respond to e-mails, calls or messages asking for account, card or internet banking details
2. Never store a card PIN (personal identification number) in your mobile or in your wallet
3. Ensure online shopping websites are secure and verified before providing card details
4. Change passwords periodically as a precautionary measure
5. Never share authentication data such as passwords, card PINs and OTPs (one-time passwords) with third parties
6. Track bank notifications regarding transaction discrepancies
7. Report lost or stolen debit and credit cards immediately
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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Destroyer
Director: Karyn Kusama
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Toby Kebbell, Sebastian Stan
Rating: 3/5
UAE release: January 31
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Moonfall
Director: Rolan Emmerich
Stars: Patrick Wilson, Halle Berry
Rating: 3/5
