Excitement is building with winners of six of the nine races on the Super Saturday card at Meydan set to earn guaranteed spots on the Dubai World Cup night.
The highlight of the day is the Group 2 Al Maktoum Classic with connections targeting a direct spot in the $12 million Dubai World Cup on April 5.
The leading contenders are eight-time UAE champion trainer Doug Watson’s Kabirkhan, Korean star Global Hit, and France’s Group 1 winner King Gold.
Last year’s Dubai World Cup winning-trainer Bhupat Seemar is triple handed with Artorius, Guns And Glory and Imperial Emperor, runner-up in the Group 1 Al Maktoum Challenge just over a month ago and the choice of stable jockey Tadhg O’Shea.
The nine-race card is the traditional dress rehearsal for the marquee event in just over a month's time. The Group 2 Singspiel Stakes serves as a strong race for an automatic entry to the Group 1 Dubai Turf.
Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby is double handed with Nations Pride and First Conquest in the race while an interesting challenger for the Royal Blues appears to be British trainer Alice Haynes’ Cairo.
Cairo has already had three outings at Meydan, finishing runner-up twice and unplaced in between.
“Cairo’s three runs at Meydan have been very good and his last run when he finished second in the Group 3 was probably his best run,” Haynes told The National of her first runner in Dubai.
“The time before, the slowly run race over a mile did not suit him. We added a bit of headgear and ran him differently last time and he improved.
“He’s thriving out there and tries hard in his races, plus Silvestre [De Souza – jockey] seems to get on very well with him. Ideally, we would get an invite for the Dubai Turf on the big night after the Singspiel Stakes, so we should know that soon.”
Cairo is no stranger to Dubai though. The five-year-old by Quality Road was unplaced in the UAE Derby in 2023 when trained by Aidan O’Brien. He has finished runner-up four times in seven starts since joining Haynes.
“Cairo has been a horse that has finished second plenty of times for us,” she added.
“He finished second in a Listed race in Ireland and then ran in the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot.
“He also finished second at Glorious Goodwood and it would be lovely for him to get his head back in front. Kuwaiti owner Refai Alghraiban has been enjoying his time.
“Silvestre sat on him this morning and thinks he’s in great order. I am very happy with the work my team has done out there and we look forward to Saturday.”
The 2,400m Group 2 Dubai City of Gold paves the way for the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic.
Adding an international twist in the Group 3 Mahab Al Shimaal is impressive Japanese runner American Stage, from trainer Yoshito Yahagi, which is an exciting prelude to the Group 1 Golden Shaheen.
Daisuke Takayanagi’s T O Saint Denis is another Japanese challenger in the Group 3 Burj Nahaar aiming to book a direct spot in the Group 2 Godolphin Mile on Dubai World Cup night.
Other highlights include the Group 3 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint, a precursor to the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint featuring defending champion Frost At Dawn, as well as the Listed Jumeirah 1000 Guineas and Jumeirah 2000 Guineas.
Race card
5.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 (PA) Group 1 Dh 600,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
6.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas (TB) Listed Dh 800,000 (Turf) 1,600m
6.50pm: Burj Nahar (TB) Group 3 Dh 1,200,000 (D) 1,600m
7.25pm: And Al Sheba Turf Group 3 Dh1,200,000 (T) 1,000m
8pm: Singspiel Stakes Group 2 Dh 1,400,000 (T) 1,800m
8.35pm: Al Maktoum Classic Group 2 Dh 1,700,00 (D) 2,000m
9.10pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 Dh 1,400,000 (T) 2,410m
9.45pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 Dh 1,200,000 (D) 1,200m
10.20pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Listed Dh 800,000 (T) 1,600m
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
Company%C2%A0profile
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
SPEC SHEET
Display: 6.8" edge quad-HD dynamic Amoled 2X, Infinity-O, 3088 x 1440, 500ppi, HDR10 , 120Hz
Processor: 4nm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1/Exynos 2200, 8-core
Memory: 8/12GB RAM
Storage: 128/256/512GB/1TB
Platform: Android 12
Main camera: quad 12MP ultra-wide f/2.2, 108MP wide f/1.8, 10MP telephoto f/4.9, 10MP telephoto 2.4; Space Zoom up to 100x, auto HDR, expert RAW
Video: 8K@24fps, 4K@60fps, full-HD@60fps, HD@30fps, super slo-mo@960fps
Front camera: 40MP f/2.2
Battery: 5000mAh, fast wireless charging 2.0 Wireless PowerShare
Connectivity: 5G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.2, NFC
I/O: USB-C
SIM: single nano, or nano and SIM, nano and nano, eSIM/nano and nano
Colours: burgundy, green, phantom black, phantom white, graphite, sky blue, red
Price: Dh4,699 for 128GB, Dh5,099 for 256GB, Dh5,499 for 512GB; 1TB unavailable in the UAE
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
Retail gloom
Online grocer Ocado revealed retail sales fell 5.7 per cen in its first quarter as customers switched back to pre-pandemic shopping patterns.
It was a tough comparison from a year earlier, when the UK was in lockdown, but on a two-year basis its retail division, a joint venture with Marks&Spencer, rose 31.7 per cent over the quarter.
The group added that a 15 per cent drop in customer basket size offset an 11.6. per cent rise in the number of customer transactions.
More on Quran memorisation:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The years Ramadan fell in May
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group F
Manchester City v Hoffenheim, midnight (Wednesday, UAE)
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Five%20calorie-packed%20Ramadan%20drinks
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T10 Cricket League
Sharjah Cricket Stadium
December 14- 17
6pm, Opening ceremony, followed by:
Bengal Tigers v Kerala Kings
Maratha Arabians v Pakhtoons
Tickets available online at q-tickets.com/t10
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
RACE CARD
4.30pm: Maiden Dh80,000 1,400m
5pm: Conditions Dh80,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Liwa Oasis Group 3 Dh300,000 1,400m
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed Dh380,000 1,400m
6.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Group 2 Dh300,000 2,200m
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (30-60) Dh80,000 1,600m
7.30pm: Handicap (40-70) Dh80,000 1,600m.
Our House, Louise Candlish,
Simon & Schuster
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The biog
Name: Samar Frost
Born: Abu Dhabi
Hobbies: Singing, music and socialising with friends
Favourite singer: Adele
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
Marathon results
Men:
1. Titus Ekiru(KEN) 2:06:13
2. Alphonce Simbu(TAN) 2:07:50
3. Reuben Kipyego(KEN) 2:08:25
4. Abel Kirui(KEN) 2:08:46
5. Felix Kemutai(KEN) 2:10:48
Women:
1. Judith Korir(KEN) 2:22:30
2. Eunice Chumba(BHR) 2:26:01
3. Immaculate Chemutai(UGA) 2:28:30
4. Abebech Bekele(ETH) 2:29:43
5. Aleksandra Morozova(RUS) 2:33:01
Company%20Profile
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The%20specs
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The Energy Research Centre
Founded 50 years ago as a nuclear research institute, scientists at the centre believed nuclear would be the “solution for everything”.
Although they still do, they discovered in 1955 that the Netherlands had a lot of natural gas. “We still had the idea that, by 2000, it would all be nuclear,” said Harm Jeeninga, director of business and programme development at the centre.
"In the 1990s, we found out about global warming so we focused on energy savings and tackling the greenhouse gas effect.”
The energy centre’s research focuses on biomass, energy efficiency, the environment, wind and solar, as well as energy engineering and socio-economic research.
