Racing enthusiasts will remember 2009 as the year when Sea the Stars achieved sporting immortality with six Group One wins, including a magnificent display in one of the world's most prestigious races, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
In capturing the unique 2,000 Guineas-Epsom Derby-Arc treble, as well as the Coral Eclipse, Juddmonte International and Irish Champion Stakes, Sea the Stars claimed a rightful place among an elite list of champions.
The trainer, Aidan O'Brien, often described as a "maestro" of the track because his overwhelming success, threw everything his mighty yard had at Sea the Stars. But even with up to four Ballydoyle runners in a race, trying every tactic in the book to put John Oxx's solitary horse off his stride, Sea the Stars emerged supreme every time.
Even if Sea the Stars had not already won five preceding Group Ones, the manner in which he claimed the Arc would have set him apart.
Sea the Stars' jockey, Mick Kinane, did not rise to the bait of the two O'Brien pacemakers, Set Sail and Grand Ducal, who steamed ahead of the 19-runner field, instead dropping to ninth and, like the other riders, simply waiting for them to tire.
Fighting for his head in the somewhat slow-paced contest, Sea the Stars did not give his jockey an easy time.
Kinane was forced to switch his runner outside the rapidly tiring Grand Ducal, before making a run from two furlongs out that left genuinely talented Group One contenders looking like handicappers.
That race, the pinnacle of any jockey's career, was also a sign-off of sorts for one of the most accomplished and enduring race riders in the world. Kinane, the 50-year-old, 13-time Irish champion, retired from riding in December. In his 34-year career he won 10 English Classics including four 2,000 Guineas and three Derbies. He has 14 Irish Classics to his name, three Arc victories and five King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes triumphs.
It was also the year that saw Kieren Fallon, one of the most controversial yet compelling figures in international racing, make his return to the saddle after three years in exile. His drugs ban served and a new leaf seemingly turned over, Fallon struck up an immediate partnership with the top trainer Luca Cumani, and is set to continue his renaissance when he travels with the Cumani string to Dubai for the Carnival.
In the United States, the girls took the headlines. In winning the Breeders' Cup Classic, the unbeaten Zenyatta, darling of the American racing public, achieved undisputed status as that country's greatest mare, capturing her 14th consecutive win (and eighth Grade One) and beating the boys in her first start outside a fillies' and mares' race.
Rachel Alexandra was to the US east coast what Zenyatta was to the west. Unbeaten this season, it was in the Preakness Stakes that Rachel Alexandra really stood out.
Like Zenyatta, she stole victory from the boys - among them the Kentucky Derby winner, Mine That Bird, who finished second.
stregoning@thenational.ae
Schedule:
Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Six tips to secure your smart home
Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.
Keep your smart home devices’ software up-to-date. Device makers often send regular updates - follow them without fail as they could provide protection from a new security risk.
Use two-factor authentication so that in addition to a password, your identity is authenticated by a second sign-in step like a code sent to your mobile number.
Set up a separate guest network for acquaintances and visitors to ensure the privacy of your IoT devices’ network.
Change the default privacy and security settings of your IoT devices to take extra steps to secure yourself and your home.
Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
