Gunnevera: Finished behind Seeking The Soul and Audible in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup on a sloppy surface at the Gulfstream Park in his last start in January. Getty Images
Capezzano: Is in the form of his life having won three races on the trot, including his victory over Thunder Snow by more than nine lengths in the Prep race. Erika Rasmussen for The National
North America: Is on the back of two impressive victories and a Gate 3 draw. If he can get his familiar rail position, will be hard to overtake. Victor Besa/The National
Audible: His most recent start in the Pegasus World Cup wasn’t encouraging but has claims if allowed to have his own way. Rex
Seeking The Soul: His last run was of note when finishing second behind City Of Lights in the Pegasus World Cup. Can run a big race. Rex
Pavel: Fourth in the race 12 months ago and no reason why he shouldn’t give another good account. Getty Images
Gronkowski: Should come from his first start when finishing fifth behind Capezzano in his first start at Meydan. Open to progress. Rex
Axelrod: Wasn’t 100 per cent on his first start at Meydan but will strip fitter for his second start. Alamy
New Trails: Signs of ability but this is harder and will have to produce a career best effort. Reem Mohammed / The National
Yoshida: Beaten favourite in the Pegasus World Cup but plenty of ability. Can play a part in this. Rex
Thunder Snow: Bidding to become the first horse to win the prize twice. Wasn’t given a hard race and major player if he can overcome the wide draw. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Dolkong: Ran a creditable third behind Capezzano and Thunder Snow, but has to deal with the widest draw. Rex
Amith Passela's Dubai World Cup predictions: 1. Thunder Snow 2. North America 3 Yoshida. AFP
Dubai World Cup: Thunder Snow's bid for history 'won't be easy' from wide gate
Godolphin's defending champion was handed Gate 12 of 13, and while he did prevail 12 months ago from a similarly wide gate this year’s challenge appears markedly different
Saeed bin Suroor has admitted Thunder Snow’s bid to become the first horse to win the Dubai World Cup “won’t be easy” after Godolphin’s defending champion was dealt a wide draw for Saturday’s race.
Thunder Snow was handed Gate 12 of 13 in Wednesday’s draw, and while he did prevail 12 months ago from a similarly wide gate – the widest of 10 – this year’s challenge appears markedly different, with two speedsters closest to the rails, and five American runners perched in the middle.
Capezzano and North America start from Gates 2 and 3 respectively, which is sure to set a strong pace from the outset in the $12 million finale of the nine-race card at Meydan.
“The truth is, it won’t be as easy,” Emirati trainer Bin Suroor said comparing Thunder Snow’s upcoming task to last year’s race. “Last year Christophe (Soumillon) gave him a good ride, pushed him all the way to be close to the rail.
“I hope this can happen again this year. The horse has come back well from his last race and has worked well.”
Thunder Snow wasn’t given a hard race last time out, finishing more than nine lengths behind Capezzano in the Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3, the trial race on Super Saturday, on March 9.
Soumillon used only hands and heels on that occasion and Bin Suroor added: “If he jumps well and finds a nice position, he'll have a chance to run another big race.”
The 10-time French champion jockey, who was atop Thunder Snow in all his six victories, said the five-year-old performed as expected three weeks ago.
“We knew he was going to need the run so, in the circumstances, he ran well for a long way,” he added. “The three weeks since should have put him spot on and the team are very happy with him.”
Emirati trainer Salem bin Ghadayer is triple handed in the race with Capezzano, Gronkowski and Axelrod.
“Capezzano is in good health and very happy and completely ready for the race,” said the Al Aryam Stables trainer. “Having said that, every horse has a chance in this race. I think it will be a fast-paced race with the front runners taking it on.
“Horses like Gronkowski and Axelrod like to pass other horses and they are ready for the race so we are really looking forward to it.”
Satish Seemar, the trainer of North America, was counting the days for the race to unfold.
“We’ve just got to wait for the hours to pass until Saturday,” said the Zabeel Stables trainer.
“I’m keeping a lid on everything because last year didn’t work out but I am thinking positively going into the race. It looks an open race.”
The American challenge consists of Seeking The Soul, Yoshida, Audible, Pavel and Gunnevera.
Pavel and Gunnevera are returning to have a second crack at the prize, having finished fourth and eighth respectively in past years.
Completing the line-up are Ahmad bin Harmash’s New Trails, Japan’s K T Brave and Dolkong representing South Korea.
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.”
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:
Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')
Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
Scoreline:
Barcelona 2
Suarez 85', Messi 86'
Atletico Madrid 0
Red card: Diego Costa 28' (Atletico)
Results
ATP Dubai Championships on Monday (x indicates seed):
Know your camel milk: Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste. Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk. Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate. Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Mobile phone packages comparison
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Manchester United v Barcelona, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
South Africa squad
Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.
