Godolphin could load up with over 50 runners for Royal Ascot meet

NEWMARKET, ENGLAND // Godolphin are set to flex their muscles next week when the Dubai-based operation could be represented by over 50 runners at Royal Ascot.

Horses based in England, Ireland, France, the United States and Australia will collect under the Royal Blue standard to produce the largest team Godolphin have ever fielded at the five-day meeting that starts on Tuesday. In over 200 years of this most famous of meetings, it could well be the biggest team ever assembled by one owner.

As an illustration of their intent, Irish raiders Devonshire and Lucida were among five Godolphin fillies left in at the confirmation stage for Wednesday’s Duke Of Cambridge Stakes.

Other Godolphin horses who could run in the Group 2 contest over the straight mile include Saeed bin Suroor’s Very Special, who was a dual winner at Meydan in the winter, and Always Smile, who won the Hambleton Stakes at York last month for the long-serving trainer.

Read more from Geoffrey Riddle:

• Almanzor spoils double dreams as The Aga Khan misses on two successes on consecutive days

• Harzand shows off grit and power to hold off US Army Ranger at Epsom Derby

But leading that group of fillies is Usherette, Andre Fabre’s Dahlia Stakes winner who will travel over from Chantilly.

There is more. Tryster, who displayed a searing turn of foot in Dubai during the World Cup Carnival, was also among the nine confirmations headed by Japanese challenger A Shin Hikari for the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes, the feature race on the second day.

When you pitch in Meydan regular Jungle Cat, who lines up in Tuesday’s King Stand Stakes and Ribchester, who John Ferguson believes is Godolphin’s best chance in the Jersey Stakes on the following day and Holler, John O’Shea’s sprinter who is to try to become the third Australian winner of the Diamond Jubilee Stakes next Saturday, Godolphin’s team is not only numerically strong but they have chances abound.

“Godolphin is a team based in Dubai and has always been the brainchild of Sheikh Mohammed [bin Rashid] and he loves the big picture,” chief executive Ferguson said of the UAE Vice President and Ruler of Dubai after watching Holler work on the Limekilns turf gallop.

“He was the first man to start travelling horses around the world in the way Godolphin did when it started and it is great to de doing the same thing now. Royal Ascot is an international race meeting and it needs international horses.”

Much as Godolphin did during the Carnival with Kiaran McLaughlin’s horses, they are turning outward the sights of their American operation. Drafted is an apt name for Eoin Harty’s colt, who is set to become the first US-based juvenile to run in the Royal Blue silks at Ascot when he most likely runs in Tuesday’s Windsor Castle Stakes, although Thursday’s Norfolk Stakes is also an option.

Drafted preceded Holler on the gallops Thursday and William Buick was happy with the leg-stretch over 1,200 metres. With path-finding US-based trainer Wesley Ward also set to field a huge team next week, this will be a vintage meeting for the Americans, who also will be represented in the Duke Of Cambridge by Miss Temple City, trained by Dubai World Cup winner Graham Motion.

“Wesley has done so well with bringing horses over and it just shows that it is possible,” Ferguson added. “So when Eoin rang us and told us that he had a two year old to do the job naturally Sheikh Mohammed wanted to be part of it.”

sports@thenational.ae

Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE

Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport

Zayed Sustainability Prize

Clean water and solar homes: Zayed prize finalists present sustainability solutions

What is the Zayed Sustainability Prize?

Kibsons%20Cares

%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERecycling%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fstrong%3EAny%20time%20you%20receive%20a%20Kibsons%20order%2C%20you%20can%20return%20your%20cardboard%20box%20to%20the%20drivers.%20They%E2%80%99ll%20be%20happy%20to%20take%20it%20off%20your%20hands%20and%20ensure%20it%20gets%20reused%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EKind%20to%20health%20and%20planet%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESolar%20%E2%80%93%2025-50%25%20of%20electricity%20saved%3Cbr%3EWater%20%E2%80%93%2075%25%20of%20water%20reused%3Cbr%3EBiofuel%20%E2%80%93%20Kibsons%20fleet%20to%20get%2020%25%20more%20mileage%20per%20litre%20with%20biofuel%20additives%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ESustainable%20grocery%20shopping%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ENo%20antibiotics%3Cbr%3ENo%20added%20hormones%3Cbr%3ENo%20GMO%3Cbr%3ENo%20preservatives%3Cbr%3EMSG%20free%3Cbr%3E100%25%20natural%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer

Three ways to get a gratitude glow

By committing to at least one of these daily, you can bring more gratitude into your life, says Ong.

During your morning skincare routine, name five things you are thankful for about yourself.
As you finish your skincare routine, look yourself in the eye and speak an affirmation, such as: “I am grateful for every part of me, including my ability to take care of my skin.”
In the evening, take some deep breaths, notice how your skin feels, and listen for what your skin is grateful for.