Cambrydge and Raqiyah lead a field of eight purebred Arabians in the Coupe d'Europe des Chevaux Arabes today at the Saint Cloud racecourse near Paris. The race is the second event of the President of the UAE Cup, a series initiated by the Emirates Equestrian Federation to promote interest in Arabian racing. The series has taken place in France ever year since 1994. Cambrydge, a gelding trained by Sandine Terrou in France, has a first, second and third in three starts this year.
Raqiyah is a French-trained mare who was favoured at the Abu Dhabi Irish Guineas Festival in May but finished second. Today's race is 2,000 metres over Saint Cloud's grass circuit. France has hosted an Arabian for all 16 years of the President of the UAE Cup series. This year's race is being held on the same card as the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, a Grade 1 race. Two other UAE-sponsored races are on the card today, both for thoroughbreds - the Abu Dhabi Prix Malleret and the Etihad Airways Handicap.
The first race of this year's Arabian series was held last month at Curragh in Ireland. Races are also scheduled at Newmarket and Ascot in England, Keeneland in the US, and in Moscow. Also today, at Curragh, the Godolphin colt Chabal will try to return to form in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, a Grade 1 race over a mile and a half. The three-year-old faltered on fast turf at York on his previous start and finished fourth.
He had previously made an impressive return when quickening well to post a convincing victory in a Group Three race at Sandown Park in April. "Chabal ran a big race on his first start of the season but the ground was too fast for him at York and he didn't like it at all," said Saeed bin Suroor, Chabal's trainer. "He looks stronger now and he has been working really nicely. Ted Durcan rode his last piece of work and he was happy with him." * Agencies
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5