Racing is sure to be on the agenda this morning when Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, meets the UK's Queen Elizabeth II in the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi.
The two Royals consider racing and equestrian pursuits to be part of their heritage and culture, with Sheikh Mohammed injecting substantial amounts into the bloodstock industry and the Queen maintaining a breeding operation set up by William III in the 17th century.
And it is their shared passion for the racehorse that has helped to forge strong links between their two countries - more than a million British nationals visit the UAE every year.
The importance of the relationship between the two Royals cannot be underestimated by those living in Dubai. Twelve months ago, when the Dubai World debt-restructuring situation emerged, Sheikh Mohammed was received by the Queen in Windsor Castle on a whistle-stop tour of Britain that involved talks with Gordon Brown, the-then prime minister, at 10 Downing Street, as well as David Cameron, Brown's successor.
John Warren, who has been advising the Queen on racing matters for 15 years and has been her racing manager for 10, has seen the relationship between the two Royals develop.
"They met many years ago formally, when Sheikh Mohammed was a young man, but it wasn't much more than a passing official meeting," Warren said.
"As is the Sheikh's style when he does anything he tries to do it exceptionally well, and therefore it didn't take long for everyone, not just the Queen, to look up to this man and appreciate that he was taking racing and the bloodstock industry very seriously.
"So for the last 20 years the Queen has had occasion to see Sheikh Mohammed as a friend on a fairly regular basis through their racing interests."
Both were initiated into equestrian pursuits at a young age. As a descendent of the Bani Yas tribe, Sheikh Mohammed's youth was spent riding horses, and he participated in his first race when he was 12 years old.
The Queen was given her first pony - a Shetland called Peggy - by her grandfather, George V.
Not many would credit Sheikh Mohammed with humble beginnings, but his career as an owner started out in such a manner. It is said in racing circles that when he was 28 years old the Sheikh took a train to the seaside town of Brighton in June 1977 in order to watch Hatta run in the unremarkable Bevendene Maiden Stakes, worth a paltry Dh5,614. The Sheikh's filly, trained by John Dunlop, was his first winner in Britain and a thirst for British racing was embedded.
Four years later, the man synonymous with Dubai bought his first stud farm, the 161-acre Dalham Hall property in Newmarket. Today at the headquarters of British racing he owns thousands of acres of farmland and, along with his family, props up the entire industry.
"The Queen sees Sheikh Mohammed perhaps two to three times a year, often at the Derby and at Royal Ascot," Warren said. "Sheikh Mohammed will meet the Queen in the parade ring, often paying his respects along with Princess Haya, and quite often he will join the Queen for afternoon tea during the Royal meeting."
Last year on the third day of Royal Ascot, the Sheikh was invited to lunch at Windsor Castle. From there he was the guest of honour, joining the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Duke of York in a horse-drawn carriage which whisked them the six miles from the castle to the Ascot parade ring.
The two met this season at the Derby at Epsom where the Queen described Meydan Racecourse as a wonderful gift to the world of horse racing, and again on the first day of Royal Ascot where the proximity of the Sheikh's box to the Royal box above the finish line facilitates easy access.
If their racing passions are intertwined, it follows that their bloodstock is also linked. There were 34 horses that ran in the Queen's purple, scarlet, gold and black racing silks in the 2010 season, 10 of which were bred from Darley sires owned by the Sheikh.
"The Queen uses Darley stallions in Europe, America and Ireland," Warren said. "She uses Street Cry in America, and will use Dubawi and Sharmadal, who are both becoming important proven sires."
With William Hague, the British foreign secretary, and the Duke of York also to be present this morning, they might be well advised better brush up on their racing talk.
sports@thenational.ae
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
RESULTS
2pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m. Winner: Masaali, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
2.30pm: Handicap Dh 76,000 (D) 1,400m. Winner: Almoreb, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
3pm: Handicap Dh 64,000 (D) 1,200m. Winner: Imprison, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
3.30pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh 100,000 (D) 1,000m. Winner: Raahy, Adrie de Vries, Jaber Ramadhan.
4pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (D) 1,000m. Winner: Cross The Ocean, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
4.30pm: Handicap 64,000 (D) 1,950m. Winner: Sa’Ada, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Remaining fixtures
Third-place-play-off: Portugal v Mexico, 4pm on Sunday
Final: Chile v Germany, 10pm on Sunday
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
The biog
Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi
Favourite TV show: That 70s Show
Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving
Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can
Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home
Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
