One down, seven to go for the Emirati jockey Ahmad Ajtebi. He rode a winner in Abu Dhabi's opening meeting to take his tally to 63 and is now seven short of shedding his apprenticeship, which he hopes to achieve soon.
"But there is no great hurry, I am still enjoying the claim," said Ajtebi, 25, who rode a winner and was placed second four times in the first two meetings of the season in Nad Al Sheba and Abu Dhabi.
"I'm very happy with my progress. God willing, I am looking at a bright career ahead," added Ajtebi, who is the first jockey for the new trainer Mubarak Khalifa bin Shafya.
Shafya is the endurance race horse trainer for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and was a member of the gold medal winning team in the world championship in Malaysia last week.
Ajtebi is also the first jockey for Mohammed Ramadan and is the second choice man for Emirati trainer Ali Rashid al Raihe.
Ajtebi added: "Mubarak has an all-thoroughbred string which we will see soon on the track and Ramadan has a majority of the Purebreds. So there is no clash between the two stables for the moment."
Ajtebi became the first jockey from the region to win at the Royal Ascot meeting earlier this year when he rode the David Nicholls trained 25-1 shot Regal Parade in the Buckingham Palace Stakes.
"For me, riding at the Royal Ascot meeting was itself an experience. And winning there was not only a proud occasion for me but for my country and to all those who have supported me all along."
Ajtebi singles out Yasir Mabrouk, the Emirates Racing Authority's senior clerk of the scales and the official interpreter, as the biggest influence in his professional career.
"He's there with me - 24 hours and 365 days on the phone, whether I'm here or abroad," said Ajtebi. "Of course it was His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, who put me on the road to success, for which I am ever so grateful.
"I use to ride camels as a young boy. I enjoyed the thrills and excitement of those bumpy rides.
"And I had the good fortune of meeting His Highness who asked me if I would be interested in riding horses. I was very excited and accepted the offer.
"He arranged for my first lessons on riding and sent me to Ireland for my first formal education, followed by a similar course in Australia. I travelled to South Africa three times and the UK twice as part of my schooling."
It has been a race to the top all the way for Ajtebi, who returns to the domestic season after notching up four winners from 10 rides in Kenya and Zimbabwe, and having spent a successful summer in the UK where he rode 10 winners.
"I think I'm a better and more confident rider than I was last season. So I'm really looking forward to the season ahead. Every trainer or owner likes to have the best jockey on his horse, but I think I can be just as good," smiled Ajtebi, who has ridden winners in eight countries including the UK, Australia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Bahrain and Qatar.
"I like riding because it is very challenging. But riding winners is not the only priority for me.
"I want to raise my country's image where ever I ride and show the world the UAE not only own some of the best race horses in the world but they can also produce trainers and jockeys."
apassela@thenational.ae
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 6 (McTominay 2', 3'; Fernandes 20', 70' pen; Lindelof 37'; James 65')
Leeds United 2 (Cooper 41'; Dallas 73')
Man of the match: Scott McTominay (Manchester United)
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The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
Company%20profile
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.8-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C200rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%20from%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh111%2C195%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Saturday's results
Brighton 1-1 Leicester City
Everton 1-0 Cardiff City
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Watford 0-3 Liverpool
West Ham United 0-4 Manchester City
