Handler Charlie Appleby said Ghaiyyath looked like “a million dollars” after the horse romped home to victory in a new course record time of 2 minutes and 25.89 seconds over the one and a half mile trip in Godolphin’s Group 1 Coronation Cup at Newmarket on Friday.
Returning to the UK after spending the winter in Dubai, the five-year-old son of Dubawi under William Buick made every yard of the running to win from the 2019 Epsom Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck by two and a half lengths.
Stradivarius, a multiple Group 1 winner, was two and a half lengths further down in third, followed by Broom and last year’s winner Defoe in the silks of Dubai’s Sheikh Obaid Mohammed.
“You couldn’t be confident coming up against that calibre of horse, but we felt that we had Ghaiyyath in great order,” Appleby told the Godolphin website.
“He is very similar to Blue Point last year – going into his five-year-old season, we felt that we had the finished article.”
It was Ghaiyyath’s second Group 1 success after his 14-length triumph in the Grosser Preis von Baden in Germany in September last year.
He arrived for the Coronation Cup after having won the Group 3 Dubai Millennium Stakes at Meydan in February.
“When Ghaiyyath won the Dubai Millennium Stakes earlier this year, we were more impressed with how he took it post-race,” Appleby added.
“We will see over the next day or two if he can show the same characteristics as he showed out there and maintain his weight.
“In the past, he has always had to have that gap between his races because he puts so much into them that it is hard to get his tank filled up again.
“He looked [like] a million dollars today and full credit to Godolphin and the team, and most importantly His Highness Sheikh Mohammed [bin Rashid, Vice president and Ruler of Dubai], who has followed this horse right from the start of his career.
“Ghaiyyath’s victory in Germany last year was emphatic, which threw us into the Arc.
“Conditions and the style of racing didn’t suit him at Longchamp that day – it was a tough race on the front-end. I thought that he would be a horse who would love a bit of ease in the ground but we clearly know now that his best performances have come on fast ground.
“I would like to think that we could work back from the Arc again. We have always felt as though coming back to 10 furlongs is never going to worry us when you have that natural pace.
“Potentially, we might look at the 10-furlong options during the summer and then hopefully work back from the Arc. The concern will be what the ground could be like at that time of year because he is clearly a better horse on fast ground.”
Buick was naturally impressed by Ghaiyyath’s performance.
“He is a very explosive horse, who can also sustain a gallop,” he said. “It was a deep field today – Stradivarius was coming back in trip but he is still a very, very, good stayer with a turn of foot, Anthony Van Dyck is a Derby winner and Defoe won this race last year. It was a good race and a very good performance.
“He has phenomenal mid-race pace, a fantastic cruising speed, which I think is very rare to see in a horse that stays as well as he does.
“I don’t think I have ridden many horses that have as high a cruising speed as him. Coming back to a mile and a quarter wouldn’t pose any question to him at all.”
Jiu-jitsu calendar of events for 2017-2018:
August 5:
Round-1 of the President’s Cup in Al Ain.
August 11-13:
Asian Championship in Vietnam.
September 8-9:
Ajman International.
September 16-17
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, Ashgabat.
September 22-24:
IJJF Balkan Junior Open, Montenegro.
September 23-24:
Grand Slam Los Angeles.
September 29:
Round-1 Mother of The Nation Cup.
October 13-14:
Al Ain U18 International.
September 20-21:
Al Ain International.
November 3:
Round-2 Mother of The National Cup.
November 4:
Round-2 President’s Cup.
November 10-12:
Grand Slam Rio de Janeiro.
November 24-26:
World Championship, Columbia.
November 30:
World Beach Championship, Columbia.
December 8-9:
Dubai International.
December 23:
Round-3 President’s Cup, Sharjah.
January 12-13:
Grand Slam Abu Dhabi.
January 26-27:
Fujairah International.
February 3:
Round-4 President’s Cup, Al Dhafra.
February 16-17:
Ras Al Khaimah International.
February 23-24:
The Challenge Championship.
March 10-11:
Grand Slam London.
March 16:
Final Round – Mother of The Nation.
March 17:
Final Round – President’s Cup.
Key features of new policy
Pupils to learn coding and other vocational skills from Grade 6
Exams to test critical thinking and application of knowledge
A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis for Holistic Development) will form the standard for schools
Schools to implement online system to encouraging transparency and accountability
The winners
Fiction
- ‘Amreekiya’ by Lena Mahmoud
- ‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid
The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award
- ‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi; translated by Ramon J Stern
- ‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres
The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award
- ‘Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah
Children/Young Adult
- ‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
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
