Jean de Roualle provided a training masterclass to bring Somoud from three disappointing runs to win the President’s Cup for Purebred Arabians at Abu Dhabi on Monday.
Adrie de Vries settled the eight-year-old son of Munjiz in middle of the field before producing a well-timed run to clinch the Dh2.5million Group 1 prize for the second time in 12 months.
“He disappointed us in three starts this season and we were a bit puzzled because he worked well in the mornings,” De Roualle said.
“Perhaps, he got a bit lazy. Probably we were too nice to him. He ran disappointingly in the prep race. We took him back and had him on the track the very next day.
Results
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Reem Baynounah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Afham, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle
7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Haqeeqy, Dane O’Neill, John Hyde.
“When a horse has run not to his potential in three starts, he keeps us wondering. I put the blinkers on him again, and I was expecting a good run but I cannot say we were 100 per cent confident, even though I knew the horse was ready.”
De Vries rode Somoud in two of his last three starts and the Dutchman this time made smooth progress from the 500m mark and then led from 150m and held on well to win from Ashton Tourettes and Mujeeb by a neck and three quarter length respectively.
“We [with De Vries] have worked as a team and tonight we got the result we wanted,” De Roualle added.
“We discussed the issues after every race and we worked towards the common goal of this success.”
Somoud will now bid for a hat-trick of Group 1 Emirates Championship over track and trip on March 20.
The Listed President’s Cup for thoroughbreds was won by newcomer Haqeeqy under Dane O’Neill in the silks of Shadwell, providing new trainer John Hyde his first winner in the UAE.
Omani apprentice Saif Al Balushi got Yas Xmnsor in the last few strides to clinch the Emirates Colts Classic in a thriller from AF Ghayyar, ES Sudani and ES Lattam by head, short head and neck in a four-horse finish.
George Buckell raced on the inside rail and had AF Ghayyar in front but he just couldn’t hold on to that lead as Al Balushi flashed first past the wining post with Antonio Fresu on the fast-finishing ES Sudani taking third.
It was the Omani rider’s third ride in five starts on the Big Easy colt, having finished runner up and third on two earlier occasions.
“He ran two good races when I rode him and won his last start, so we were very hopeful,” Al Balushi said.
“He travelled well and had enough left in the tank towards the end to take me first over the line. He’s a young horse with a lot of potential, and hopefully win another race or two before the end of the season.”
Jean-Claude Picout’s Ghallieah overcame the widest draw in gate 15 to take the Emirates Fillies Classic to stretch her record to two from two.
Sebastien Martino settled the Mahabb filly in the middle of the closely grouped early pacemakers and produced with a late challenge to win from Nawart Baynounah and Shoaa.
Fernando Jara atop Mohamed Daggash’s Reem Baynounah took the opening prize and Tadhg O’Shea steered Ernst Oertel’s AF Afham to victory half hour later to regain the lead over Antonio Fresu in the UAE jockey’s title race.
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
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
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- 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
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
EXPATS
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How much of your income do you need to save?
The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)
Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPAD%20PRO%20(12.9%22%2C%202022)
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The Lowdown
Kesari
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
Produced by: Dharma Productions, Azure Entertainment
Directed by: Anubhav Singh
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Parineeti Chopra
'C'mon C'mon'
Director:Mike Mills
Stars:Joaquin Phoenix, Gaby Hoffmann, Woody Norman
Rating: 4/5
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Results
5pm: Al Maha Stables – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Reem Baynounah, Fernando Jara (jockey), Mohamed Daggash (trainer)
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: AF Afham, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Emirates Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Ghallieah, Sebastien Martino, Jean-Claude Pecout
6.30pm: Emirates Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh100,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
7pm: The President’s Cup – Group 1 (PA) Dh2,500,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Somoud, Adrie de Vries, Jean de Roualle
7.30pm: The President’s Cup – Listed (TB) Dh380,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Haqeeqy, Dane O’Neill, John Hyde.
