DUBAI // When the name Salem bin Ghadayer appeared in the declarations for the opening night of this season's Dubai World CUp Carnival, in January, few would have expected the Emirati rookie trainer to be one of just nine conditioners to have a runner in Saturday's Dubai World Cup.
And yet that became a reality on Saturday when Long River snuck into the field for the $US10 million (Dh3.67m) event that acts as the cornerstone to the nine-race card at Meydan Racecourse.
Long River is one of four horses from Bin Ghadayer’s fledgling string who will represent Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed on the night. All four horses will be ridden by former Godolphin jockey Mickael Barzalona.
Frankyfourfingers seeks his second victory this season in the Godolphin Mile, while Rio Tigre will take his chance in the Dubai Gold Cup. The grey Earnshaw lines up in the Dubai Turf.
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Bin Ghadayer has only 28 horses, but he has impressed by staying close to the established order at the Carnival to finish fifth in the standings at Meydan this season, with five winners.
To be behind stalwarts such as Doug Watson, Satish Seemar, Musabah Al Muhairi and Saeed bin Suroor is no surprise, but to be in fifth place ahead of former UAE champion Ali Rashid Al Raihe and Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby is nothing short of extraordinary.
Not since 2010, when Mahmoud Al Zarooni saddled Calming Influence to an upset win in the Godolphin Mile just a few days after he was handed a training licence, has a rookie trainer burned so brightly.
With Frankyfourfingers holding a live chance against favourite Tamarkuz in that same race, the second of the night, Bin Ghadayer will not have to wait long for his best chance.
“I have needed to check myself how well this season has gone,” Bin Ghadayer said. “I am happy about almost everything. How the horses have run, the results we’ve had, the number of horses I have.
“We are up against stables that have 100 or more horses, who have only a few runners on the night, whereas we have four runners in our first season, which is great for me, for my owner and for all my staff.
“You have to think we are going the right way about things.”
In some ways, this is one of those heart-warming, rags-to-riches narratives of the sort surrounding California Chrome in the World Cup, but it must be remembered who powers the Bin Ghadayer operation.
Sheikh Hamdan is a backer for whom any new trainer would like to work; in a few months he brought in the horses Bin Ghadayer will send to the post on Saturday.
Frankyfourfingers was plucked from Christian Delcher-Sanchez’s operation in Pau, France. Rio Tigre and Earnshaw were brought in from Andre Fabre’s elite stables in Chantilly. Long River arrived from Godolphin USA trainer Kiaran McLoughlin just six weeks before the colt finished last in the third round of the Al Maktoum Challenge on Super Saturday.
With such patronage comes expectations. “I am under pressure,” Bin Ghadayer said.
“We received some of the horses at the end of October, but the rest came in December. I barely had time to start preparing for this season. We really had to push our boundaries just to get the horses to the Carnival races.
“I worked as a team with Sheikh Hamdan to choose which horses we would get here. I’m the trainer, but my style is very much to listen to everybody. Sheikh Hamdan is a very good horseman and I have listened to his advice with regards to the training programme of some horses.”
Bin Ghadayer has been operating out of Millennium Stables, but following Dubai World Cup night he will move into a new facility, the Fazza Racing Stables, a few miles south of Meydan.
His equine team will be rested, as most of them were racing in Europe or America last summer, and then will be added to in preparation for a full-scale assault on next season’s Carnival.
Bin Ghadayer, 38, has come to thoroughbred racing via endurance racing, where he was both a rider and a trainer.
He had spells as a thoroughbred racing manager, which showed that he could place horses well enough that he got his chance with Sheikh Hamdan.
He hopes for a glorious conclusion to the opening chapter of his thoroughbred training career, although rank outsider Long River will have to do much better than last time to play a part in the World Cup.
“We scoped Long River after Super Saturday and we found nothing,” he said. “He didn’t bleed, either. He moved smoothly during the race, but Richard Hughes, the jockey, just said he slowed down.
“There is no reason why he ran badly; they are animals, not machines, after all. I am 100 per cent confident he will be a different horse on World Cup night. It is a dream for me to have a horse in this race.”
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Liverpool 4-1 Shrewsbury
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Gordon (34'), Fabinho (44' pen, 90' 3), Firmino (78')
Shrewsbury
Udoh (27'minutes)
Man of the Match: Kaide Gordon (Liverpool)
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
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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
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
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Emirate: Sharjah – Khor Fakkan
Education: Master’s degree in special education, preparing for a PhD in philosophy.
Favourite activities: Bungee jumping
Favourite quote: “My people and I will not settle for anything less than first place” – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid.
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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All you need to know about Formula E in Saudi Arabia
What The Saudia Ad Diriyah E-Prix
When Saturday
Where Diriyah in Saudi Arabia
What time Qualifying takes place from 11.50am UAE time through until the Super Pole session, which is due to end at 12.55pm. The race, which will last for 45 minutes, starts at 4.05pm.
Who is competing There are 22 drivers, from 11 teams, on the grid, with each vehicle run solely on electronic power.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
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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.
The Bio
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Favourite place to relax in UAE: the desert around Al Mleiha in Sharjah or the eastern mangroves in Abu Dhabi
The one book everyone should read: 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It will make your mind fly
Favourite documentary: Chasing Coral by Jeff Orlowski. It's a good reality check about one of the most valued ecosystems for humanity
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Squads
Australia: Finch (c), Agar, Behrendorff, Carey, Coulter-Nile, Lynn, McDermott, Maxwell, Short, Stanlake, Stoinis, Tye, Zampa
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Company profile
Company name: Dharma
Date started: 2018
Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: TravelTech
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs
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
MATCH INFO
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Man of the Match: Erik Pieters (Stoke)
