Films with a sporting chance


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Invictus is released in UAE cinemas tomorrow, starring Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela in his bid to unite a fractured South Africa through the 1995 Rugby World Cup. It's landed two Oscar nominations (Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor) but it finds itself jostling with stiff competition for space in the film library of beloved sporting greats.

A lighter film concerning the Olympics, this is a story about the hilarious progression of Jamaica's first bobsled team from clumsy beginners to experienced competitors.

Everyone has their favourite of the six, but hats off to old Sylvester Stallone, who managed to climb back in the ring for the final instalment, Rocky Balboa, when he was 60 years old. As Rocky says: "You gotta be a moron to wanna be a fighter."

A British classic. You probably hear the Vangelis score running through your head right now.

A young Kevin Costner shines as the idealistic Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella, who builds a baseball diamond in his corn field. An adaptation of WP Kinsella's baseball novel, Shoeless Joe, this film will reduce fully grown men to a pool of tears.

This Disney flick went on to spawn several sequels along with a real ice hockey team, the Anaheim Ducks. The original brat pack member Emilio Estevez stars as a lawyer ordered to coach the team for a stint of community service.

RESULTS

6.30pm Handicap (TB) US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

Winner Golden Goal, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer)

7.05pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (Turf) 2,410m

Winner: Walton Street, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.

7.40pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,200m

Winner Switzerland, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar

8.15pm Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m

Winner Lord Giltters, Adrie de Vries, David O’Meara

8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (TB) $228,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner Military Law, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi.

9.25pm Al Fahidi Fort Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,400m

Winner Land Of Legends, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor

10pm Dubai Dash Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,000m

Winner Equilateral, Frankie Dettori, Charles Hills.

ARSENAL IN 1977

Feb 05 Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland

Feb 12 Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal

Feb 15 Middlesbrough 3-0 Arsenal

Feb 19 Arsenal 2-3 West Ham

Feb 26 Middlesbrough 4-1 Arsenal (FA Cup)

Mar 01 Everton 2-1 Arsenal

Mar 05  Arsenal 1-4 ipswich

March 08 Arsenal 1-2 West Brom

Mar 12 QPR 2-1 Arsenal

Mar 23 Stoke 1-1 Arsenal

Apr 02  Arsenal 3-0 Leicester

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed

Based: Muscat

Launch year: 2018

Number of employees: 40

Sector: Online food delivery

Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception