Godolphin's hopes of winning the world's richest horse race - the $20 million Group 1 Saudi Cup - rest on Japanese raider Lemon Pop when the action gets underway at King Abdulaziz racetrack in Riyadh on Saturday.
Japan’s reigning dirt champion goes in the 1,800-metre dirt race that has drawn 14 runners from across Europe, America and Asia.
Trained by Hiroyasu Tanaka and ridden by Ryusei Sakai, the six-year old son of Lemon Drop Kid makes only his second trip to the region.
He was in Dubai last March on World Cup night for the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen but finished out of the running at Meydan. Before that race, Lemon Pop boasted an impressive record of 10 wins with three second-placed finishes in 14 career starts.
Following that disappointment, Lemon Pop bounced back to form with a sensational win in the NAR Grade 1 Mile Championship Nambu Hai before becoming only the fourth horse to win both JRA dirt Grade 1 races with another superior run in the Champions Cup.
His 2023 performances saw him crowned Japan’s Best Dirt Horse ahead of Ushba Tesoro and Derma Sotogake, and he faces both horses in the Saudi Cup.
The field also includes US challengers White Arbarrio, successful in the Breeders' Cup Classic, and Pegasus World Cup winner National Treasure.
“We have great respect for all the horses in the Saudi Cup and this is a big ask for Lemon Pop, not just because of the local horses or those from America, which is the home of dirt racing, but also the Japanese horses,” Harry Sweeney, president of Godolphin in Japan, told the godolphin.com.
“Incredibly, Ushba Tesoro, Derma Sotogake and Lemon Pop have never raced against each other, even in Japan. So, we are respectful of all and even a little afraid of many of the runners.
“We have enormous confidence in our jockey. In Lemon Pop’s last race in the Champions Cup, we drew the outside. A horse had never won from that position before but Lemon Pop overcame those odds. He is going to have to do it again from stall three but let’s see how it goes.
“This is an enormously important race for Japan. We only have two Grade 1 races on the JRA on dirt in the entire calendar, so we don’t have that many opportunities.”
That was Lemon Pop’s first run over the Saudi Cup 1,800-metre distance. He was drawn the widest in a 15-horse field, running a superb race to cross the winning post to beat Wilson Tesoro by a length and a-quarter at the Chukyo racetrack.
“Lemon Pop won the February Stakes and Champions Cup last year, so we are keen to come abroad and try something else,” said Sweeney.
Panthalassa won the Saudi Cup for Japan last year and Sweeney believes the Japanese runners have now proved they can compete on both turf as well as dirt.
“Japan has invested very heavily in its people and horses over the years and we are now keen to try and prove our horses overseas,” he added.
“Japan has won more than 50 Group/Grade 1 races abroad in the last 20 years, but mostly on turf and it’s a new venture for us to be trying dirt.
“Ushba Tesoro won the Dubai World Cup last year and Derma Sotogake won the UAE Derby, while horses have run well at the Breeders’ Cup, but dirt is not our forte. We are more a nation of turf horses, although now we are trying to prove that the dirt horses can do it as well.”
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
Squad
Ali Kasheif, Salim Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdulrahman, Mohammed Al Attas, Abdullah Ramadan, Zayed Al Ameri (Al Jazira), Mohammed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammed Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Essa, Mohammed Shaker, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah) Walid Abbas, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli), Tariq Ahmed, Jasim Yaqoub (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Muharami (Baniyas)
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RACE CARD
6.30pm: Madjani Stakes Group 2 (PA) Dh97,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,400m
7.40pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 2,200m
8.50pm: Dubai Creek Mile Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Conditions (TB) Dh120,000 (D) 1,900m
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,400m
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Scoreline
Saudi Arabia 1-0 Japan
Saudi Arabia Al Muwallad 63’
MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports
The five pillars of Islam
IPL 2018 FINAL
Sunrisers Hyderabad 178-6 (20 ovs)
Chennai Super Kings 181-2 (18.3 ovs)
Chennai win by eight wickets
World%20Food%20Day%20
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FIXTURES
Thursday
Dibba v Al Dhafra, Fujairah Stadium (5pm)
Al Wahda v Hatta, Al Nahyan Stadium (8pm)
Friday
Al Nasr v Ajman, Zabeel Stadium (5pm)
Al Jazria v Al Wasl, Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium (8pm)
Saturday
Emirates v Al Ain, Emirates Club Stadium (5pm)
Sharjah v Shabab Al Ahli Dubai, Sharjah Stadium (8pm)
List of alleged parties
May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff
May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'
Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff
Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson
Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party
Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters
Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz
Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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THE BIO
Favourite book: ‘Purpose Driven Life’ by Rick Warren
Favourite travel destination: Switzerland
Hobbies: Travelling and following motivational speeches and speakers
Favourite place in UAE: Dubai Museum
Fixtures
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWednesday%2C%20April%203%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EArsenal%20v%20Luton%20Town%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EManchester%20City%20v%20Aston%20Villa%2C%2011.15pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EThursday%2C%20April%204%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ELiverpool%20v%20Sheffield%20United%2C%2010.30pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
Brief scores:
Manchester City 3
Aguero 1', 44', 61'
Arsenal 1
Koscielny 11'
Man of the match: Sergio Aguero (Manchester City)
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Wealth managers recommend late investors to have a balanced portfolio that typically includes traditional assets such as cash, government and corporate bonds, equities, commodities and commercial property.
They do not usually recommend investing in Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies due to the risk and volatility associated with them.
“It has produced eye-watering returns for some, whereas others have lost substantially as this has all depended purely on timing and when the buy-in was. If someone still has about 20 to 25 years until retirement, there isn’t any need to take such risks,” Rupert Connor of Abacus Financial Consultant says.
He adds that if a person is interested in owning a business or growing a property portfolio to increase their retirement income, this can be encouraged provided they keep in mind the overall risk profile of these assets.
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RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
