ABU DHABI // Naseem stormed to a comfortable victory in the UAE Arabian Derby last night and is now being lined up for a run in next year's Dubai Kahayla Classic.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed's four year old lived up to his top billing by winning the feature prize at the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.
Ridden by Wayne Smith, Naseem scored a three-and-a-half length victory over stable companion Areem.
"He is a top class juvenile and if all goes well, he is a horse for next season's Kahayla Classic," said Majed Al Jahouri, the trainer.
"He is not the easiest horse to train but has done nothing wrong in his two races since arriving from France. He has won both his starts very convincingly. I spoke to his jockey Wayne and he was all praise for the horse."
Naseem is the second UAE Arabian Derby winner for Sheikh Mansour, who also won the race with Shadiyda in 2007.
Smith had Naseem placed behind Areem, who bowled along in front under Harry Bentley, with Daffagh Al Asayl, ridden by Mirco Demuro, the Dubai World Cup winning jockey, in third as they approached the final bend of the 2,200-metre race.
Smith then asked his mount to pick up the pace and Naseem went clear. Areem stayed on to take second from Daffagh Al Asayl, the bay colt denying Al Jahouri a 1-2-3 finish as Rakha, his third runner, finished fourth.
"I knew my horse had class and a good acceleration," said Smith, the UAE champion jockey. "I was happy to sit behind the pace and when it came to the business end I just had to give him a tap and he took off really well.
"He is a class animal and won easily as he did in his first race. As I said earlier, he is the best Arabian I have sat on after winning the Kahayla Classic on Nez D'Or."
Manisha was an impressive winner of the Emirates Fillies Classic, for four-year-old Arabians bred in the UAE, the main supporting contest on the seven-race card.
The grey daughter of Darike under Demuro made smooth progress from the back of the field to catch Shajarat Eddor Al Reef and stop Al Jahouri winning both feature prizes.
Bentley got off to a bright start, winning the first two races on Bib Basha and Raeaa W'Rsan for two different trainers, before his second place in the Derby.
"It was Areem's first start and he ran a good race behind another class horse," said Bentley, of his Derby runner up. "To win two races and finish second in the feature race is a satisfying for a day's work."
Tadhg O'Shea and David Smith picked up a winner each and Saeed Al Mazrooei, the Emirati apprentice, rounded off the evening by claiming the solitary prize for the thoroughbreds on Jamhoori, for the UAE champion trainer Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
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Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The team
Videographer: Jear Velasquez
Photography: Romeo Perez
Fashion director: Sarah Maisey
Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Models: Meti and Clinton at MMG
Video assistant: Zanong Maget
Social media: Fatima Al Mahmoud
Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
