It may have been a flippant remark from Alban de Mieulle last month but it appears that Julian Smart once again has the Dubai International Arabian race day at Newbury Racecourse on Thursday night at his mercy.
The Qatar-based French trainer revealed to The National last month that he would have no runners in the European showcase event for Purebred Arabians and suggested that Smart would clean up across the only eight-race card in the world that has three Group 1 races purely for Arabian runners.
Smart has entered nine horses this year, including Mkeefa and Rathowan, the two highest-rated Purebred Arabians in the official world rankings at the end of last season.
Mkeefa was a hugely impressive winner of the Shadwell Farm Hatta International Stakes last season, and benefited from a well-timed ride from Richard Mullen to defeat seven rivals.
The five-year-old mare once again is ridden by Mullen and faces only five other runners in the Shadwell Dubai International Stakes, the feature event of the night, in which Rathowan also runs.
Djet Taouy, the Dutch raider who won the President Of The UAE Cup event at Newmarket last month, will be ridden by Adrie de Vries while Tidarbret, ridden by Tadhg O'Shea, and Forgehill Cosaque, partnered by Steve Drowne, form the home defence.
The field is completed by Al Hibaab, owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid, the patron of the event, who is aiming for his 12th success in the Group 1 contest.
It is a disappointing turnout for the £50,000 (Dh284,970) purse and the absence of De Mieulle owes much to the fact that Dubai day this year has been sandwiched between two €50,000 (Dh243,540) races in France.
Tabarak, trained by De Mieulle, who is based in Chantilly during the summer, was second in the Group 1 Doha Cup at Deauville a week ago and, along with Smart, has entries in the prestigious Group 1 Prix Kesberoy at the seaside racecourse on Saturday.
Tabarak was ranked fifth last year while the up and coming Mushrae, who was the second-highest rated three year old last season, was third.
To underpin the strength of the race Al Mamun Monlau, the ninth-best horse in the world, was fourth.
Last year when the Dubai International Day was run as the season-ending finale, in September, 90 horses were declared for a card that was run in squall-like conditions.
Tonight, when the weather is set to be fair, 63 horses are entered. The Private Banking From Emirates NBD International Stakes, in which Smart runs the recent winner Al Atique for a purse of £10,000, features just two other runners.
It appears as if quality has declined, also. Whereas last year five of the world's top-10 Purebred Arabians were declared in a defining final day for the then 30-year-old event. Today, Newbury will host only four of the top 25 Arabians.
"Last year we were overwhelmed by the numbers and quality that we had," Amanda Smith, the racing manager of the Arabian Racing Organisation in Britain, told The National.
"Alban De Mieulle is a notable absentee but it is understandable that he, and other French trainers, wanted to remain at home."
Smart is responsible for three of the top four rated horses on the £158,000 card. Mkeefa and Rathowan aside, he also runs Aziz, who was ranked sixth, in the Group 1 Jebel Ali Racecourse Zabeel International Stakes. Tidarbret was ranked 24th last season.
Not since 2009 has Smart failed to saddle the winner in one of the three Group 1 races on the card.
Smart won the Group 1 Shadwell Dubai International Stakes last season with Mu'azzaz in addition to Mkeefa's success.
He won the Dubai International with Asraa Min Albarq and the Zabeel International Stakes with Aziz in 2011 and struck with Jaafer in the big one the previous year.
Despite playing down his chances yesterday, it was possible to detect that Smart was at least hopeful of continuing his fine form at the meeting.
"I'm not disappointed, personally, that Alban stays in France," Smart said from his satellite yard at the historic Weathercock House in Lambourn, Berkshire, where he has 22 horses for the summer.
"It is always nice when he leaves us alone.
"I am never confident in this game but very hopeful. Mkeefa and Rathowan were first and second in the Qatar Arabian World Cup at Longchamp in October and have held their form in Doha.
"Mkeefa needed the run last time when beaten at Hereford by Al Atique and Aziz. I'm there to be shot at."
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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'Munich: The Edge of War'
Director: Christian Schwochow
Starring: George MacKay, Jannis Niewohner, Jeremy Irons
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
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
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
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Neymar's bio
Total club appearances 411
Total goals scored 241
Appearances for Barca 186
Goals scored for Barca 105
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
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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.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
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.
Series result
1st ODI Zimbabwe won by 6 wickets
2nd ODI Sri Lanka won by 7 wickets
3rd ODI Sri Lanka won by 8 wickets
4th ODI Zimbabwe won by 4 wickets
5th ODI Zimbabwe won by 3 wickets
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
