The New Year meeting at Meydan on Friday could turn out to be a momentous occasion for Tadhg O’Shea with the Irishman on the cusp of reaching a milestone 800 winners in the UAE.
The turf legend has won an unprecedented 12 jockey’s championship titles and is out on his own as the all-time leading rider in the UAE with 799 wins.
O’Shea is tied for the lead in this season's jockey’s table on 19 winners with Connor Beasley, his closest challenge last term.
The Zabeel Stables jockey is booked in seven of the eight races at the New Year meeting, but his best chance of reaching 800 wins should come aboard the Bhupat Seemar-trained Tuz.
The eight-year-old Oxbow gelding landed the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at the 2024 Dubai World Cup. It turned out to be a double celebration for both O'Shea and Seemar on the night as Laurel River's win in the main Dubai World Cup race saw Seemar become the first local trainer to win the big prize and O'Shea the biggest victory of his stellar career.
Returning for his first run of the season, Tuz was impressive in the Listed Al Garhoud Sprint on December 6. He is bidding for a hat-trick on the 1,200-metre track and trip on Friday.
“Tuz is one of the fastest horses in the world and is in good form. He’s his usual self so all is good with him,” Seemar, who also won the Golden Shaheen in 2023 with Switzerland, said.
Tuz is the leading dirt sprinter in the UAE, backing up his Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen success with another demolition job in the Listed Garhoud Sprint last month.
Challenging Tuz for are five rivals that include Desperate Hero, who makes his dirt debut for Salem bin Ghadayer after having been trained in the UK by Jack Channon, and Colour Up, second to Tuz in the Garhoud Sprint.
Strobe, who looked unlucky on his Meydan debut, also takes his chance for Simon and Ed Crisford.
“Desperate Hero has had just one gallop since he came,” Bin Ghadayer said of the five-year-old Captain Gerrard gelding.
“He performed well on soft and firm ground in Europe and I’m really happy about him – he’s a nice horse and he could develop to become one of the good sprinters here.
“This race is just a starting point for him, as it’s a tough field with a super champion [Tuz] in there. But he will be a very nice horse, especially over five furlongs.”
This race is just a starting point for him, as it’s a tough field with a super champion [Tuz] in there. But he will be a very nice horse, especially over five furlongs
Salem bin Ghadayer on Desperate Hero
The official feature of the New Year card is the Group 2 Zabeel Mile in which San Donato bids to emulate Safety Check, the only dual winner of the race to date.
Successful last year when trained by Doug Watson, the nine-year-old is now with Michael Costa and put in a promising yard debut when coming in second on his last outing in the Listed Business Bay Challenge.
“We’re really happy with him,” said the Jebel Ali Stables trainer. “We ran him first up thinking he would be too short [on fitness] but we wanted to give his coat a wriggle on.
“He has come on nicely and will keep getting better with the increase in distance. It looks a firmer race then last year, but the horse is a happy horse.”
The nine-strong field includes Godolphin pair Ottoman Fleet and Noble Dynasty, while Lucia Botti runs Royal Dubai, third in the Group 2 Al Rashidiya last time out.
“Both Ottoman Fleet and Noble Dynasty head into the Zabeel Mile in good order,” trainer Charlie Appleby said.
“If you look at the pick of Ottoman Fleet’s form in the United States, he looks the one to beat. He put up a very solid performance over this distance in the Fourstardave and we have been happy with his preparation.
“Noble Dynasty had the one run around Meydan last year, over seven furlongs, and produced a couple of strong efforts back in the UK.
“His work has gone well, and his form is pretty consistent. We feel we have two leading contenders, although Ottoman Fleet will be the horse they have to beat if he runs to his best.”
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
More on animal trafficking
SPAIN SQUAD
Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)
Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
----
Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
----
Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
SPEC SHEET
Display: 10.4-inch IPS LCD, 400 nits, toughened glass
CPU: Unisoc T610; Mali G52 GPU
Memory: 4GB
Storage: 64GB, up to 512GB microSD
Camera: 8MP rear, 5MP front
Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, USB-C, 3.5mm audio
Battery: 8200mAh, up to 10 hours video
Platform: Android 11
Audio: Stereo speakers, 2 mics
Durability: IP52
Biometrics: Face unlock
Price: Dh849
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company%20Profile
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
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The%20specs
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Suarez 27', Vidal 32', Dembele 35', Messi 78')
Sevilla 0
Red cards: Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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New Zealand 57-0 South Africa
Tries: Rieko Ioane, Nehe Milner-Skudder (2), Scott Barrett, Brodie Retallick, Ofa Tu'ungfasi, Lima Sopoaga, Codie Taylor. Conversions: Beauden Barrett (7). Penalty: Beauden Barrett
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Company%C2%A0profile
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AIR
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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
The%20specs%20
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If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
HOW TO WATCH
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
ARGYLLE
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