Jockey Mullen rides to three race wins on the evening
ABU DHABI // Majed Al Jahouri saddled all eight Purebred Arabian Group 1 winners last season and began his quest to repeat that feat in style when Thakif won the Race 4 National Day Cup yesterday.
The Emirati trainer saddled the first two horses past the post for his principal owner, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed.
Thakif, under Harry Bentley, came with a strong late run to deny his more illustrious stable companion Areem, ridden by Silvestre de Sousa, from winning the National Day Cup for a third successive year.
“I knew it would be between these two horses, but it didn’t matter which horse won at the end as long it was from my stable,” Al Jahouri said.
“Thakif proved to be the better horse on the night. He had come into this race with the benefit of a run, and it worked out well for him.”
Thakif was an impressive winner of the Group 3 Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Cup four weeks ago.
“He’s a Group 1 winner and now we have to keep him up at that level. The Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 is a likely option for both Thakif and Areem,” Al Jahouri said.
“Areem was coming off a longer break [of 280 days], and his preparation was also a bit delayed.
“He should come well from this race. Perhaps a re-match at Meydan in January.”
Areem bowled along with his familiar front-running tactics until Bentley got up on Thakif on the home stretch to win by three-and-a-quarter lengths.
“Areem was the horse to beat in this field,” Bentley said.
“I saw him struggling a bit after the final bend, and then I got to work and got a good run from my horse.”
Richard Mullen, on the Satish Seemar-trained Nine Realms, won the Race 6 Listed National Day Cup for the Thoroughbreds to complete a personal treble on the night.
“He arrived in Dubai late last season and ran a cracking race to take second at Jebel Ali two weeks ago,” Mullens said. “So, we were hopeful, and he did it quite nicely tonight.”
Nawwaar, the winner last year, tried to make all under Dane O’Neill.
But he had no answer to the late challenge from Nine Realms, who took up the running in the final 100 metres to win by two-and-a-half lengths.
Mullen won the first two races on the Jaber Bittar-trained Sataar Al Reef and Sharaf Al Reef.
De Sousa’s hat-trick bid was foiled by Thakif, with the Brazilian winning two prizes in between on Saifaldin Deeb’s newcomer Boss Des Vialettes and Najem S’Heel.
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Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
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
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20myZoi%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202021%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Syed%20Ali%2C%20Christian%20Buchholz%2C%20Shanawaz%20Rouf%2C%20Arsalan%20Siddiqui%2C%20Nabid%20Hassan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2037%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Initial%20undisclosed%20funding%20from%20SC%20Ventures%3B%20second%20round%20of%20funding%20totalling%20%2414%20million%20from%20a%20consortium%20of%20SBI%2C%20a%20Japanese%20VC%20firm%2C%20and%20SC%20Venture%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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.
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
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
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
