Gold Town won the UAE 2000 Guineas at Meydan. Pawan Singh / The National
Gold Town won the UAE 2000 Guineas at Meydan. Pawan Singh / The National

Charlie Appleby has high hopes for Gold Town after UAE 2000 Guineas triumph



Charlie Appleby has the UAE Arabian Derby as his next target for Gold Town following another successful outing last night that saw him win the UAE 2000 Guineas at Meydan Racecourse.

The gelded son of the 2002 Dubai World Cup winner Street Cry was more impressive on his second local start than his victory in the Trial race three weeks ago.

William Buick had him quickly out of Gate 4 to settle him in front. He quickened and went clear on the home stretch and was even able to ease off as they approached the finishing line to win by more than four lengths.

The Ali Rashid Al Raihe-trained Gotti under Antonio Fresu chased him home ahead of Last Voyage, Appleby’s second runner.

“He was fantastic in the Trial and this was straightforward,” said Appleby as he  his second UAE 2000 Guineas success and Godolphin’s 10th since the prize was instituted in 2000.

“He’ll probably go straight to the UAE Derby [on the Dubai World Cup meeting on March 31].

“He has two dirt races under his belt now and we have to just freshen him up for the Derby which is farther (1,900m) than his two runs so far.”

“He’s one of the few horses that can handle both the turf and the dirt equally well. He also has a good turn of foot and that’s very pleasing to see for me. He’s a horse that had a nice level of form in the UK.”

Saeed bin Suroor claimed the first two prizes for the thoroughbreds with Best Solution taking the second race under Pat Cosgrave and Christophe Soumillon making all the running on Don’t Give Up 35 minutes later to complete a treble of victories on the night for Godolphin.

The French-based Godolphin jockey Mickael Barzalona took the next, a sprint over 1,200m on turf, on board the Salem bin Ghadayer-trained High On Life.

It was the seven-year-old’s second win for the season as he continues to bounce back from a disappointing effort at last year’s Group 1 Golden Shaheen on the Dubai World Cup meeting last March when he was unplaced.

“He needs six furlongs on the turf,” said Bin Ghadayer of High on Life.

“We have tried him twice over five furlongs on the turf and he wasn’t beaten too far both times. This trip was a bit hard for him.

“I don’t know if he would get another opportunity to run him in the Dubai World Cup meeting but we’ll see how he’s come out of this race and decide where he goes next, perhaps the Jebel Ali Sprint in just over a week.”

James Doyle, another Godolphin jockey, steered the Charlie Fellowes-trained Prince Of Arran to victory in the sixth race.

Paddy’s Day registered his second win in three starts at Meydan by claiming the Group 2 Mazrat Al Ruwayah, the solitary prize for the Purebred Arabians in the seven-race card.

Pat Dobbs, his rider, had him settled in the rear before making smooth progress approaching the final bend to move into the lead on the final 50m to win from the Silvestre De Sousa-ridden Cakouet De Bozouls by a length-and-a-quarter.

The final race of the evening was won by Hors De Combat, who was ridden by Oisin Murphy and trained by Denis Coakley.

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

AL%20BOOM
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COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Lamsa

Founder: Badr Ward

Launched: 2014

Employees: 60

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: EdTech

Funding to date: $15 million

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)

On sale: Now

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

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

Rating: 2.5/5

The specs

Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel

Power: 579hp

Torque: 859Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh825,900

On sale: Now

THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

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Expert advice

“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”

Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles

“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”

Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre 

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”

Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
 

The biog

Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi

Favourite TV show: That 70s Show

Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving

Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can

Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home

Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big

Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Ferrari
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding