Adrie de Vries guides Shahama to victory in the Mina Hamriya at Meydan on Thursday, December 9, 2021. Photo: ERA
Adrie de Vries guides Shahama to victory in the Mina Hamriya at Meydan on Thursday, December 9, 2021. Photo: ERA
Adrie de Vries guides Shahama to victory in the Mina Hamriya at Meydan on Thursday, December 9, 2021. Photo: ERA
Adrie de Vries guides Shahama to victory in the Mina Hamriya at Meydan on Thursday, December 9, 2021. Photo: ERA

Shahama 'is the one to beat' in UAE 1000 Guineas at Dubai World Cup Carnival


Amith Passela
  • English
  • Arabic

The first classic of the season, the UAE 1000 Guineas, appears to be heavily stacked in favour of the Fawzi Nass-trained Shahama.

The race is one of the highlights of the eight-race card meeting on Week 3 of the Dubai World Cup Carnival at Meydan on Friday.

The Listed race over the 1,600-metre distance on dirt has drawn only six runners and going by Shahama’s two impressive victories on the track, she appears to be a cut above the rest.

“She has done nothing wrong to date and remains in good form at home,” Adrie de Vries, who was in the saddle in both her wins, said.

“She won easily first time and improved for that experience and showed her class in the trial when we had a few traffic problems. Hopefully, she is the one to beat.”

Also undefeated, but after just one start over 1,200m on the all-weather surface at Bro Park in Sweden, is Uchchaihshravas - the mount of nine-time UAE champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea.

“We think she is a very special filly but she needs to prove it on the track,” trainer Kahlil De Burca said of the Cotai Glory filly.

“I saw Shahama win and she looked very good but our filly won in a quick time without coming off the bridle and has been working well in the mornings. Hopefully she will run a big race.”

RACECARD

6pm Emaar Dubai Sprint – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Turf) 1,200m

6.35pm Graduate Stakes – Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Dirt) 1,600m

7.10pm Al Khail Trophy – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 2,810m

7.45pm UAE 1000 Guineas – Listed (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m

8.20pm Zabeel Turf – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 2,000m

8.55pm Downtown Dubai Cup – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 1,400m

9.30pm Zabeel Mile – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,600m

10.05pm Dubai Sprint – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,200m 

Godolphin scooped five of the six prizes they had entered in the carnival’s second meeting and they have entries in five of the eight races on the night, including a trio in the Group 2 Zabeel Mile on the turf.

Godolphin trainer Saeed bin Suroor’s Real World, under Frankie Dettori, spearheads the 13-runner field that also includes Charlie Appleby’s pair Path Of Thunder, the choice of William Buick, and One Ruler with James Doyle in the saddle.

“Real World really improved in Europe last year, winning all four of his starts including the Group 2 Prix Daniel Wildenstein on his latest appearance,” Bin Suroor said of the five-year-old son of Dark Angel.

“A mile looks a nice starting point for his campaign and he has been working well, although we expect him to improve for his first run of the year.”

Path Of Thunder and One Ruler both have the benefit of a run. Path Of Thunder won the Zabeel Trophy over the track and trip with One Ruler more than four and-a-half lengths behind in sixth.

“Path Of Thunder produced a good performance on his first start in Dubai,” Appleby said.

“He has risen to a mark of 112 for that and deserves to be in a race of this calibre. He will have to improve again to win but we are confident that he can be competitive.

“We are pleased with how One Ruler has come out of the Zabeel Trophy, when he met traffic before finishing his race off well. He is a Group 1 runner-up and brings some of the strongest form into the race, although Real World looks the horse we all have to beat.”

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

The biog

Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball

THE SPECS

Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6

Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm

Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm

Transmission: 6-speed manual

Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km

Price: Dh375,000 

On sale: now 

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

If you go...

Flying
There is no simple way to get to Punta Arenas from the UAE, with flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi requiring at least two connections to reach this part of Patagonia. Flights start from about Dh6,250.

Touring
Chile Nativo offers the amended Los Dientes trek with expert guides and porters who are met in Puerto Williams on Isla Navarino. The trip starts and ends in Punta Arenas and lasts for six days in total. Prices start from Dh8,795.

Brief scores:

Toss: Australia, chose to bat

Australia: 272-9 (50 ov)

Khawaja 100, Handscomb 52; Bhuvneshwar 3-48

India: 237 (50 ov)

Rohit 56, Bhuvneshwar 46; Zampa 3-46

Player of the Match: Usman Khawaja (Australia)

Player of the Series: Usman Khawaja (Australia)

Women%E2%80%99s%20Asia%20Cup
%3Cp%3ESylhet%2C%20Bangladesh%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20results%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ELost%20to%20Sri%20Lanka%20by%2011%20runs%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20fixtures%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ETue%20Oct%204%2C%20v%20India%3Cbr%3EWed%20Oct%205%2C%20v%20Malaysia%3Cbr%3EFri%20Oct%207%2C%20v%20Thailand%3Cbr%3ESun%20Oct%209%2C%20v%20Pakistan%3Cbr%3ETue%20Oct%2011%2C%20v%20Bangladesh%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Roger Federer's 2018 record

Australian Open Champion

Rotterdam Champion

Indian Wells Runner-up

Miami Second round

Stuttgart Champion

Halle Runner-up

Wimbledon Quarter-finals

Cincinnati Runner-up

US Open Fourth round

Shanghai Semi-finals

Basel Champion

Paris Masters Semi-finals

 

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Overall head-to-head

Federer 6-1 Cilic

Head-to-head at Wimbledon

Federer 1-0 Cilic

Grand Slams titles

Federer 18-1 Cilic

Best Wimbledon performance

Federer: Winner (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012)
Cilic: Final (2017*)

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

RACECARD

6pm Emaar Dubai Sprint – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Turf) 1,200m

6.35pm Graduate Stakes – Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Dirt) 1,600m

7.10pm Al Khail Trophy – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 2,810m

7.45pm UAE 1000 Guineas – Listed (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m

8.20pm Zabeel Turf – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 2,000m

8.55pm Downtown Dubai Cup – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 1,400m

9.30pm Zabeel Mile – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,600m

10.05pm Dubai Sprint – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,200m 

Updated: January 28, 2022, 7:49 AM