ABU DHABI // Having saddled 11 winners in the six meetings at the capital's racecourse, Eric Lemartinel is on course to beat his best mark in the UAE - a 15-winner season he achieved in 2007/08.
With a bit of good fortune, the Frenchman could have already passed this mark, having notched up 14 second-placed finishes this term.
Tonight, however, Lemartinel may have to take a back seat against his compatriot Philippe Barbe, the Al Asayl trainer, who has booked Kieren Fallon, the six-time British champion jockey, on all four of his fancied entries in the six-race card.
Barbe, who has a string of strong juvenile Purebred Arabians, can set the ball rolling with Fille De L'or, followed by Burkan Al Asayl in the Abu Dhabi Colts Classic and Frynchman in the Abu Dhabi Championship. He can round it off by claiming the final race with No Limit Del Ma.
Lemartinel reeled off three back-to-back winners in the first three meetings and capped that with a treble last Sunday, which included the Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic, a prize with prestige status for three-year-old fillies bred in the UAE, with AF Al Lijam.
Lemartinel has three entries in the opening race, a maiden for fillies and mares, in which AF Kahila carries his hopes on the strength of her first run of the season behind Sarabella and Sestamina, her stablemate, on November 7.
The four-year-old will be ridden by Gerald Avranche, the first-choice jockey for the stables, who comes up against Barbe's Fille De L'or, an unraced four-year-old daughter of Magic De Piboul, the 2001 winner of the Kahayla Classic.
"It's been the best start I have had in six years," Lemartinel said. "But, then, it's impossible to have winners every week. I don't have many strong juveniles but would expect AF Kahila [first race] and BH Fatan [second race] to run big races."
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
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The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter
1. Dubai silk road
2. A geo-economic map for Dubai
3. First virtual commercial city
4. A central education file for every citizen
5. A doctor to every citizen
6. Free economic and creative zones in universities
7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes
8. Co-operative companies in various sectors
9: Annual growth in philanthropy
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Fly Etihad or Emirates from the UAE to Moscow from 2,763 return per person return including taxes.
Where to stay
Trips on the Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian cost from US$16,995 (Dh62,414) per person, based on two sharing.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
No.6 Collaborations Project
Ed Sheeran (Atlantic)
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
THE BIO
Ambition: To create awareness among young about people with disabilities and make the world a more inclusive place
Job Title: Human resources administrator, Expo 2020 Dubai
First jobs: Co-ordinator with Magrudy Enterprises; HR coordinator at Jumeirah Group
Entrepreneur: Started his own graphic design business
Favourite singer: Avril Lavigne
Favourite travel destination: Germany and Saudi Arabia
Family: Six sisters