Lost Eden made a winning reappearance in the Jebel Ali Stakes Prep, a prize he won 12 months ago, at the Jebel Ali Racecourse’s sixth meeting of the season on Saturday.
The Doug Watson-trained five-year-old under stable jockey Pat Dobbs always looked confident when taking up the running from the 200-metre mark to win by three and-a-half lengths from Jean van Overmeire and Shamikh.
“He is better over 1,950m so that was very pleasing on his first run back since the end of February,” Watson said of Lost Eden’s victory over the 1,800m distance.
“The Jebel Ali Stakes looks the ideal next target then we can look at Meydan and the carnival.”
Fanaar, under Dane O’Neill, provided Watson his first of the three winners when taking the second race.
The Dark Angel gelding in the silks of Shadwell was registering consecutive course and distance victories having taken 19 attempts to open his UAE account and he now has four career successes to his name.
“He has always been a nice horse and has run plenty of good races,” Watson said of the six-year-old.
“It was a nice 28 days since that first win for us which was ideal and he deserved that win a month ago. He loves it here at Jebel Ali so will look for something here but we also have the option of the 1,200m turf straight at Meydan.”
Watson completed a quick double with the equally impressive Colour Up in the following 1,000m handicap, this time combining with Dobbs in the colours of Sayed Hashish.
Dobbs was happy to chase eventual runner-up Meshakel until entering the final 200m when he set sail for home with the race soon in safekeeping.
“This looked a good spot to try and get him a carnival rating which we have hopefully achieved and there is a handicap at Meydan in a month hopefully,” Watson said.
“It was not ideal running him back so quickly but there was nothing else for him. Hopefully he can go to the carnival and perhaps come back here for the Jebel Ali Sprint later on.”
Results
2.15pm: Orient Irrigation Services – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner: Quality Humor, Ray Dawson (jockey) Ahmad bin Harmash (trainer)
2.45pm: Al Shafar Investment – Handicap (TB) Dh96,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Fanaar, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson
3.15pm: Bin Dasmal Contracting – Handicap (TB) Dh96,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner: Colour Up, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
3.45pm: Jebel Ali Stakes Prep – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Lost Eden, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
4.15pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Justice Protecol, Fernando Jara, Ismail Mohammed
4.45pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: City King, Oscar Chavez, Osama Refai
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
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
Itcan profile
Founders: Mansour Althani and Abdullah Althani
Based: Business Bay, with offices in Saudi Arabia, Egypt and India
Sector: Technology, digital marketing and e-commerce
Size: 70 employees
Revenue: On track to make Dh100 million in revenue this year since its 2015 launch
Funding: Self-funded to date
