DUBAI // A successful jockey's life is a busy one, as last year's top English apprentice, William Buick, knows very well.
The in-demand Buick, stable jockey for Sheikh Ahmed bin Rashid's trainer, Dhruba Selvaratnam, claimed his first Group One in Canada in October on Mick Channon's Lahaleeb, and, though back in the UAE for the duration of the season, he continues to rack up the air miles.
His most recent trip was to the International Jockeys' Championship in Hong Kong on Wednesday, but Buick will be throwing off any jet lag to partner Mannjal in the seven-furlong Dh100,000 feature race at Jebel Ali today.
He celebrated his first Listed victory in the UAE last Sunday when he rode Jasoos to a convincing win in the National Day Cup. Now Buick, 21, and Selvaratnam's Mannjal will be looking to better the form which saw the gelding win over six furlongs at the same track three weeks ago.
Then the stewards handed Buick first place after the winner, Montpellier, trained by Ali Rashid al Raihe under Ahmed Ajtebi was disqualified for obstructing Mannjal's progress in the final furlong.
Buick, who also rode Meeris to victory in a one-mile handicap that day, obviously thrives on his busy schedule - no sooner were those winners in the bag than the youngster jumped on a plane to ride for his UK boss, Andrew Balding, in the French Group One Criterium de Saint-Cloud the next day.
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He was sixth in that two-year-old contest, which saw Godolphin's Passion for Gold under Frankie Dettori storm into Derby contention with an easy victory.
"It's a pretty busy time," said Buick before he travelled to Hong Kong. "Flying out on Monday, riding on Wednesday, back on Thursday and riding at Jebel Ali on Friday is pretty hectic."
Buick, son of the successful jockey Walter Buick, who rode 1,500 winners in Scandinavia, including 22 classics, before returning to the UK, has the drive to match his undoubted talent.
"I was invited out to Hong Kong by the Jockey Club and it's a great opportunity," he said. "All the top jockeys will be riding and it's an honour to be among them. It's tiring but I love it, I don't mind it at all."
Buick is well-regarded in racing circles, with Balding's father, Ian, backing him to be champion jockey by 2020 - and that was before the young man had even had his first ride in a race.
But competition will come from all corners of the 11-strong field today, especially with Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid sending out a four-pronged attack.
Heading the list is Estihdaaf, the choice of Sheikh Hamdan's jockey, Tadhg O'Shea, who rode him to victory in the season's opening meet over course and distance. Estihdaaf is from al Raihe's in-form yard, which claimed a winning treble last week.
Doug Watson's 2009 Carnival horse, the four-year-old Tasdeer, opens his seasonal account in this race and another Sheikh Hamdan runner, Aqmaar, trained by Erwan Charpy and ridden by Pat Smullen, is listed among the starters after his sixth in Sunday's National Day Cup.
Aamaaq, last seen coming fourth in a conditions race over the same trip on November 20, is al Raihe's second Sheikh Hamdan runner in the contest.
Taking them all on is Watson's top-weighted Fares, owned by Mohammed Rashid bin Ghadayer, who is having a shorter trip than his mile-long previous outing in which he finished seventh.
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Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
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Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
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