Rashed Bouresly’s Shanty Star picked up his biggest career win by landing Sharjah’s feature – the Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup – on Sunday.
Ridden by Richard Mullen, the six-year-old son of Hard Spun took up the running on the second bend to stay on strongly and win from Anizzah and George Villiers by a length and-a-half and half-length.
The race went as planned for Bouresly as his second runner Sendeed, under Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, set the early pace that paved the way for Mullen to get a fine tow over the 1,700-metre trip.
Shanty Star was one of the most exposed runner in the 13-runner field. He had appeared three times already this season and shown improvement with every run in registering his career victory in the solitary race for the thoroughbreds in the six-race card at Sharjah.
Antonio Fresu, meanwhile, followed up Friday’s treble at Meydan with a double by taking the second race on the Purebred Arabians Muram for Jaber Bittar and the concluding handicap on top of Hamad Al Marar’s ES Abu Mousa.
The two winners took the Italian’s tally to nine, five behind the 10-time UAE champion jockey Tadhg O’Shea, who bagged the fourth race on Ernst Oertel’s AF Mouhayer.
Fresu rode contrasting style races for his two winners. He made every yard of the running Muram over the sprint distance of 1,200m and then raced almost at the rear before producing a late run on ES Abu Moussa to take the handicap over the 1,700m trip.
O’Shea on AF Mouhayer was never headed over the 2,000m fourth race. The opening prize of the meeting was won by Oman trainer Ibrahim Al Hadhrami’s Barghash with Ray Dawson in the saddle.
Results
2.15pm: Longines DolceVita – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m
Winner: Barghash, Ray Dawson (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
2.45pm: Longines Record – Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Muram, Antonio Fresu, Jaber Bittar
3.15pm: Longines Elegant – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: AS Qoot, Saif Al Balushi, Khalifa Al Neyadi
3.45pm: Longines Conquest – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: AF Mouhayer, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
4.15pm: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup – Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: Shanty Star, Richard Mullen, Rashed Bouresly
4.45pm: Longines Master Collection – Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 (D) 1,700m
Winner: ES Abu Mousa, Antonio Fresu, Hamad Al Marar
The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
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Fanney Khan
Producer: T-Series, Anil Kapoor Productions, ROMP, Prerna Arora
Director: Atul Manjrekar
Cast: Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai, Rajkummar Rao, Pihu Sand
Rating: 2/5
How to become a Boglehead
Bogleheads follow simple investing philosophies to build their wealth and live better lives. Just follow these steps.
• Spend less than you earn and save the rest. You can do this by earning more, or being frugal. Better still, do both.
• Invest early, invest often. It takes time to grow your wealth on the stock market. The sooner you begin, the better.
• Choose the right level of risk. Don't gamble by investing in get-rich-quick schemes or high-risk plays. Don't play it too safe, either, by leaving long-term savings in cash.
• Diversify. Do not keep all your eggs in one basket. Spread your money between different companies, sectors, markets and asset classes such as bonds and property.
• Keep charges low. The biggest drag on investment performance is all the charges you pay to advisers and active fund managers.
• Keep it simple. Complexity is your enemy. You can build a balanced, diversified portfolio with just a handful of ETFs.
• Forget timing the market. Nobody knows where share prices will go next, so don't try to second-guess them.
• Stick with it. Do not sell up in a market crash. Use the opportunity to invest more at the lower price.
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
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
