Live: Dubai World Cup blog
The stage is set for an extravagant, action-packed 29th edition of the Dubai World Cup. Up for grabs is a whopping $30.5 million across nine races highlighted by the Dubai World Cup as the grand finale.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Kicking off the action is the Group 1 Dubai Kahayla Classic, the unofficial Dubai World Cup for the Purebred Arabians run over the 2,000-metre track and trip of the feature thoroughbred race.
Heading the 14-runner field is the reigning champion Tilal Al Khalediah. The seven year old has maintained his form well by winning four of his five starts since his triumph at Meydan just over 12 months ago.
He went down to stablemate Asfan Al Khalediah by a neck in his second last start before bouncing back in the Arabian showpiece at the Saudi Cup meeting on February 22.
The likely challenge for the Nasser Mutlaq Alkahtani Saudi star could come from Najeeb Al Zaman, First Classs and the couple of mares in the lineup – RB Malexis and RB Mary Lylah.
The first of the seven races for the Thoroughbreds – the Dubai Gold Cup, run over the 3,200m distance on turf – appears to be a close one that includes three Godolphin entries.
Charlie Appleby sends out Trawlerman while Saeed bin Suroor is double handed with and Passion And Glory.
Trawlerman was third in this race last year and since then the seven-year-old Golden Horn gelding has run an excellent second to Kyprios in the Group 1 Gold Cup and finished third behind the same horse in the Group 2 British Champions Long Distance Cup, both at Ascot. He should be a big player if fully tuned up for the task.
Tower Of London won the prize for Aidan O’Brien last year and the Ballydoyle trainer has arrived with his 2023 St Leger winner Continuous, who appears to be primed to retain the title for Ireland.
Returning to the track for the first time in over two months, the five year old finished third in the Group 2 Red Sea Turf Handicap at the Saudi Cup meeting. He should come from that run to reverse the result over Epic Poet who finished ahead of him in second in that race.
Raging Torrent and Mufasa should battle it out in the Group 2 Godolphin Mile while West Acre looks to have an excellent chance to complete a Meydan hat-trick in the Group 1 Al Quoz Sprint. Flood Zone looks good in the UAE Derby.
The Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen heads for an epic showdown between American raider Straight No Chaser and Bhupat Seemar’s champion sprinter Tuz.
Straight No Chaser arrives after a demolition job at the Saudi Cup meeting. The six year old by Speightster was an impressive winner of the Riyadh Dirt Sprint and is five out of eight.
Tuz is undefeated in all four starts this season since his success in the same race last year. The eight-year-old Oxbow gelding is drawn in Gate 5 and if he jumps out and grabs the inside rail, he will be hard to catch.
Romantic Warrior ran a cracking race in defeat to Forever Young in the $20 million Saudi Cup and his trainer Danny Shum has opted for the Group 1 Dubai Turf rather than a re-match against the Japanese star.
The Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic appears to be another cracker between Calandagan, Shin Emperor and Godolphin’s Rebel’s Romance.
History can be made by Forever Young in the final race. If successful, Yoshito Yahagi’s Real Steel colt would become the first horse to win both the Saudi and Dubai Grand Slam to add to his record of winning the Saudi Derby and UAE Derby last year.
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Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
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Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
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Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
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A cheaper choice
Vanuatu: $130,000
Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.
Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.
Criteria: Applicants must have a minimum net worth of $250,000. The process take six to eight weeks, after which the investor must travel to Vanuatu or Hong Kong to take the oath of allegiance. Citizenship and passport are normally provided on the same day.
Benefits: No tax, no restrictions on dual citizenship, no requirement to visit or reside to retain a passport. Visa-free access to 129 countries.
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UAE-based players
Goodlands Riders: Jamshaid Butt, Ali Abid, JD Mahesh, Vibhor Shahi, Faizan Asif, Nadeem Rahim
Rose Hill Warriors: Faraz Sheikh, Ashok Kumar, Thabreez Ali, Janaka Chathuranga, Muzammil Afridi, Ameer Hamza
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
