ASCOT, England // There was no Golden Horn, but Postponed and Eagle Top produced such a pulsating set-to in the final stages of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes yesterday that the Derby and Eclipse winner was scarcely missed.
At the winning post there was only a nose in it, but on a day when UAE-owned horses dominated the undercard, Andrea Atzeni managed to eke out just enough to get Sheikh Mohammed Obaid’s Postponed ahead when it mattered most.
Romsdal, owned by Godolphin, was third.
It was the biggest win for Sheikh Mohammed Obaid since High-Rise, also trained in Newmarket by Luca Cumani, scooped the English Derby in 1998.
Those 17 years without a major European Group 1 must have made this win taste sweet, but it was sweeter still that Postponed is by Dubawi, the influential sire that Sheikh Mohammed owns.
“Truly, I did not think he had won,” he said.
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“He went down by a nose and came back, so he is a brave horse. He surprised me. He surprised everybody.”
Cumani had previously felt that Postponed may not act on soft ground. After a deluge of rain on Friday and in the early hours of yesterday morning, the going at Ascot was soft.
Now that Postponed has proved he can be fully effective on the surface, he will be trained for a crack at Treve and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in Paris in October. He will also stay in training next year.
Whether Golden Horn will join him in France is another matter after trainer John Gosden scratched Golden Horn hours before the race.
Gosden said he did not feel that Golden Horn would handle the going around the bend into the straight and will keep his charge for the International at York next month.
“To be quite honest, I think it is the wrong thing for the horse (to run),” Gosden said. “You don’t normally get 35mm of rain in 12 hours, it is absurd. If we had 15-20mm we would be running. It is not what I want to subject him to at this stage of his career.”
As a result of the scratch, Golden Horn’s jockey Frankie Dettori switched to Eagle Top, also trained by Gosden, which left the retiring Richard Hughes without a seat when the music stopped.
Dettori anchored his mount out the back as soon as the gates opened, while William Buick set the pace on Romsdal.
Postponed was on Romsdal’s outside, while Snow Sky remained on the inner for Pat Smullen.
As the field climbed uphill, Dettori moved off the rail and plotted a course around the outside. Turning for home, Romsdal still led but Postponed quickly picked him up and surged in to the lead.
Eagle Top was powering down the middle of the track, and with 100 metres to go the two horses were locked in an embrace that carried them across the line.
“All the way up the straight I got my hopes up, and then I thought the other one had got it,” Cumani said. “I thought we were beaten. I’m naturally a pessimist and I’d prefer to be surprised favourably, rather than unfavourably.”
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Athletic Bilbao v Celta Vigo (Kick-off midnight UAE)
Saturday Levante v Getafe (5pm), Sevilla v Real Madrid (7.15pm), Atletico Madrid v Real Valladolid (9.30pm), Cadiz v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday Granada v Huesca (5pm), Osasuna v Real Betis (7.15pm), Villarreal v Elche (9.30pm), Alaves v Real Sociedad (midnight)
Monday Eibar v Valencia (midnight)
Episode list:
Ep1: A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery
Ep2: PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges
Ep3: The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic
Ep4: Inflation- services and goods - debt risks
Ep5: Travel and tourism
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
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.
RESULTS
1.30pm Handicap (PA) Dh 50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner AF Almomayaz, Hugo Lebouc (jockey), Ali Rashid Al Raihe (trainer)
2pm Handicap (TB) Dh 84,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner Karaginsky, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
2.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Sadeedd, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard.
3pm Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (D) 1,950m
Winner Blue Sovereign, Clement Lecoeuvre, Erwan Charpy.
3.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh 76,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner Tailor’s Row, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4pm Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner Bladesmith, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
4.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh 68,000 (D) 1,000m
Winner Shanaghai City, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.
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 Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
The five pillars of Islam
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
