Ashton Tourettes stunned the Group 3 Al Ruwais field for the biggest prize of his career at Abu Dhabi’s seven-race card on Monday.
The seven year old son of No Risk Al Maury, under Pat Dobbs, made steady progress from the middle of the field to finish the best among 11 runners and clinch the 1,200-metre sprint from Hazeem Al Raed and AF Alajaj by one-and-a-quarter lengths and a neck respectively.
“He’s a beautiful mover and nice horse,” Dobbs, who was riding the horse for the first time, said.
“He’s won over the track and trip [last year]. He lost his way a bit early in the race but finished very strongly. Nice spare ride for me tonight.”
Bernardo Pinheiro, on Majed Al Jahouri’s Rawaa, set a strong early pace followed by the Omani raider Arif. The chasing trio had a bit of catching up to do, which they eventually did close to home.
Results
4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m; Winner: MM Al Balqaa, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Qaiss Aboud (trainer)
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: AF Rasam, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mujeeb, Richard Mullen, Salem Al Ketbi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Pat Dobbs, Ibrahim Aseel
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Nibraas, Richard Mullen, Nicholas Bachalard
“This is his sixth start for the season and won twice before tonight’s success,” Ashton Tourettes' handler Ibrahim Aseel said.
“This was a big step up and he did well. To be honest, he has shown a lot of ability in his recent starts and we expected him to run a big race but he surprised us with the win.”
Richard Mullen on Mujeeb came from almost the back of the field to collar Soko with Olivier Peslier in the saddle close to the winning line to take the President’s Cup Prep run over the 2,200m distance.
“I really saw a classy individual,” Mullen said of the five-year-old son of Dahess on his half-a-length win over the Group 1 winner in France.
“I don’t ride him at home and I want to thank all those riders who do all that hard work for this result tonight. He missed the break but he finished like a really good horse.
“He’s a proper horse. We are still learning about him as he didn’t have many options at the start of the season. He ran over the course and distance on his reappearance to finish third before unplaced over mile.
“He’s a good Arab horse with gears. There’s not many Arabians who would quicken like he did. He’s mentally tough and he certainly looks one that can take us to the next level.”
Mullen completed a double on the night by picking up the concluding prize for the thoroughbreds atop Nibraas for his main Jebel Ali Stables’ trainer Nicholas Bachalard.
Tadhg O’Shea rode a double on Ernst Oertel’s AF Rasam and AF Mukhrej, both in the silks of his main patron Khalid Khalifa Al Naboodah, and took him them two clear of Ajban Stables in the UAE owner’s championship.
The nine-time UAE champion jockey was denied of a treble when Antonio Fresu on Jawal Al Reef edged out Hameem in a photo finish.
Qaiss Aboud celebrated his first winner of the season when Pinheiro on MM Al Balqaa made all to win the opener.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Tailors and retailers miss out on back-to-school rush
Tailors and retailers across the city said it was an ominous start to what is usually a busy season for sales.
With many parents opting to continue home learning for their children, the usual rush to buy school uniforms was muted this year.
“So far we have taken about 70 to 80 orders for items like shirts and trousers,” said Vikram Attrai, manager at Stallion Bespoke Tailors in Dubai.
“Last year in the same period we had about 200 orders and lots of demand.
“We custom fit uniform pieces and use materials such as cotton, wool and cashmere.
“Depending on size, a white shirt with logo is priced at about Dh100 to Dh150 and shorts, trousers, skirts and dresses cost between Dh150 to Dh250 a piece.”
A spokesman for Threads, a uniform shop based in Times Square Centre Dubai, said customer footfall had slowed down dramatically over the past few months.
“Now parents have the option to keep children doing online learning they don’t need uniforms so it has quietened down.”
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
Results
4.30pm Jebel Jais – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (Turf) 1,000m; Winner: MM Al Balqaa, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Qaiss Aboud (trainer)
5pm: Jabel Faya – Maiden (PA) Dh60,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: AF Rasam, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
5.30pm: Al Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: The President’s Cup Prep – Conditions (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mujeeb, Richard Mullen, Salem Al Ketbi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club – Prestige (PA) Dh125,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Antonio Fresu, Abubakar Daud
7pm: Al Ruwais – Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: Ashton Tourettes, Pat Dobbs, Ibrahim Aseel
7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Nibraas, Richard Mullen, Nicholas Bachalard
