The Meydan Masters may have past but the Dubai racecourse will unveil yet another top-class rider tonight when Silvestre de Sousa makes his seasonal bow in the final race on the seven-race card.
The Brazilian jockey has been asked by Godolphin to ride in their Royal blue silks during the Dubai World Cup Carnival after another sensational year in Britain.
De Sousa failed on the last day of the season to overhaul Paul Hanagan for the champion jockey title.
It has been a demanding year for the rider, who partnered more than 1,000 mounts in 2011 which included a whistle-stop tour to Australia in November to ride Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed's Fox Hunt to seventh in the Melbourne Cup.
The 32 year old takes a supporting role tonight on Songcraft, one of three horses entered by the Dubai-based racing operation, after a well-earned break in his homeland, his first return for five years.
Although his bustling style may not compare to the more flashy attributes of other riders on the card his efficiency in the plate should see him earn his first entrance to the winners' enclosure here after eight rides in the UAE without a place.
"He would be more Kieren Fallon than Frankie Dettori; he's not a pretty rider but he is a very effective rider," said Mark Johnston, the trainer who provides many of De Sousa's mounts in Britain.
"He's always busy on the horse and he uses every part of his body. You can see he is thinking ahead. He is not a jockey that gets boxed in very often and you can almost see his mind ticking in the middle of a race, looking for a way out."
Tonight's card also features the UAE 2,000 Guineas trial, in which Godolphin's Rassam looks to hold a major chance, while the night kicks off with a Group 1 Arabian race in which Fryvolous, owned by Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, President of the UAE, faces 11 rivals.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Last 10 NBA champions
2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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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