ABU DHABI // Areem underlined his status as the best Purebred Arabian miler in the country by winning the National Day Cup for the second year in a row on Sunday night at the Capital’s racecourse.
Jockey Ahmed Ajtebi applied the familiar front-running tactic on the five-year-old son of Mahabb to clinch the first Group 1 prize of the season by more than two lengths over Wayne Smith on Sahib Du Clos.
Rabbah De Carrere, Areem’s stable companion, under the Godolphin jockey Silvestre De Sousa, was a further two lengths behind in third and Shayel Aldhabi, winner of the National Day Cup Prep three weeks ago, was a neck behind in fourth.
“He was the best horse, the highest rated, in the race,” Ajtebi, Godolphin’s Emirati jockey, said.
“He got a bit slow in the last 400m and that’s because it was his first race of the season.
“When I was going to the start, I felt he was a bit on the heavy side. That’s why I tried to get as far as I could from the rest of the field in the first half of the race to kill everybody. That was what helped us to win tonight.”
Majed Al Jahouri, the winning trainer, said he had given no riding instructions to Ajtebi.
“He knows the horse very well and didn’t think it was necessary to tell Ahmed how to ride the horse,” he said.
“I got a bit worried when I saw him getting a bit tired toward the end, but still he did the job well. I am sure he will run a better race next time.”
Al Jahouri cited the title defence of the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 over 1,600m at Meydan on January 9 and the Liwa Oasis over 1,400m in Abu Dhabi on March 9 as his main objectives for the year.
“The mile distance is his maximum,” he said. “We have targeted only three races for this season. He has won the first and we have two more to go, and his job will be done for the season.”
Areem jumped out of gate No 8 to bowl along in front and turn a quality field into a procession. Smith made up some ground on Sahib Du Clos after turning for home, but was never going to catch the leader.
Rabbah De Carrere came with a late run to turn the tables on Ernst Oertel’s filly Shayel Aldhabi, dating back to when they clashed three weeks ago.
The President’s Cup on February 16, the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 on March 8 and the Kahayla Classic on March 29 will be his targets going forward.
“He will go better over the longer trip, Al Jahouri said of the four year old son of champion mare, Mizzna.
Nawwaar, under Royston Ffrench, sprang a surprise to win the Listed thoroughbred equivalent from his more illustrious stable companion and defending champion, Derbaas, for a one-two finish for trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe and owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid.
Ffrench set a terrific pace on the colt. He opened up a five-length lead and stayed strong toward the end to hold off the late challenge of Derbaas under jockey Dane O’Neill to win by a length-and-a-quarter. Forjatt took third.
“The plan was to go in front, and riding for the Grandstand Stables, there is always a possibility to win whether it is the first, second or third string horse in the race. So it was my turn tonight,” Ffrench said.
It was Nawwaar’s first visit to Abu Dhabi and a winning one. Derbaas won the National Day Cup Prep three weeks ago and a repeat of last year’s feat was thwarted by his stable companion on the night.
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The Specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 118hp
Torque: 149Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Price: From Dh61,500
On sale: Now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Haltia.ai
Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: AI
Number of employees: 41
Funding: About $1.7 million
Investors: Self, family and friends
Find the right policy for you
Don’t wait until the week you fly to sign up for insurance – get it when you book your trip. Insurance covers you for cancellation and anything else that can go wrong before you leave.
Some insurers, such as World Nomads, allow you to book once you are travelling – but, as Mr Mohammed found out, pre-existing medical conditions are not covered.
Check your credit card before booking insurance to see if you have any travel insurance as a benefit – most UAE banks, such as Emirates NBD, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, have cards that throw in insurance as part of their package. But read the fine print – they may only cover emergencies while you’re travelling, not cancellation before a trip.
Pre-existing medical conditions such as a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy and even asthma may not be included as standard. Again, check the terms, exclusions and limitations of any insurance carefully.
If you want trip cancellation or curtailment, baggage loss or delay covered, you may need a higher-grade plan, says Ambareen Musa of Souqalmal.com. Decide how much coverage you need for emergency medical expenses or personal liability. Premium insurance packages give up to $1 million (Dh3.7m) in each category, Ms Musa adds.
Don’t wait for days to call your insurer if you need to make a claim. You may be required to notify them within 72 hours. Gather together all receipts, emails and reports to prove that you paid for something, that you didn’t use it and that you did not get reimbursed.
Finally, consider optional extras you may need, says Sarah Pickford of Travel Counsellors, such as a winter sports holiday. Also ensure all individuals can travel independently on that cover, she adds. And remember: “Cheap isn’t necessarily best.”
Confirmed bouts (more to be added)
Cory Sandhagen v Umar Nurmagomedov
Nick Diaz v Vicente Luque
Michael Chiesa v Tony Ferguson
Deiveson Figueiredo v Marlon Vera
Mackenzie Dern v Loopy Godinez
Tickets for the August 3 Fight Night, held in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, went on sale earlier this month, through www.etihadarena.ae and www.ticketmaster.ae.
Play-off fixtures
Two-legged ties to be played November 9-11 and November 12-14
- Northern Ireland v Switzerland
- Croatia v Greece
- Denmark v Ireland
- Sweden v Italy
RESULTS
6pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $40,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: AF Alajaj, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
6.35pm: Race of Future – Handicap (TB) $80,000 (Turf) 2,410m
Winner: Global Storm, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
7.10pm: UAE 2000 Guineas – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Azure Coast, Antonio Fresu, Pavel Vashchenko
7.45pm: Business Bay Challenge – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Storm Damage, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
20.20pm: Curlin Stakes – Listed (TB) $100,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Appreciated, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill
8.55pm: Singspiel Stakes – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O'Meara
9.30pm: Al Shindagha Sprint – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Meraas, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
