Mike de Kock's horses have been improving dramatically after their first run and if Soft Falling Rain can make a similar leap forward then his seven rivals in tonight's UAE 2000 Guineas at Meydan Racecourse might as well stay in their boxes.
Soft Falling Rain was an imperious winner of the trial for the 1,600m Classic a month ago and barely saw another rival as Paul Hanagan set a course for home as soon as the gates opened. The English jockey shrugged off any semblance of a challenge 600 metres out and his mount coasted clear by two-and-a-half lengths from Godolphin's I'm Back.
It has been well documented that De Kock's string had suffered a long and difficult journey to get to Dubai, and it is no surprise that several of his horses have won on their second starts at Meydan.
Rerouted, El Estruendoso, Star Empire and Mushreq all failed to enter the winners' enclosure on their seasonal bow this season but each of the quartet has made up for it since.
Royal Ridge flew in under the radar by warming up in a non-Dubai World Cup Carnival race. He then tackled the hill at Jebel Ali to get him to peak fitness before he stuck his head out the furthest in a three-way finish for a lucrative handicap on the Tapeta surface last week.
"Mine generally improve on their first start … after all the travelling and training that they have done," De Kock told The National.
"I am happy for them to improve with racing throughout the Carnival and if we have one or two for World Cup night that would be a great success."
Soft Falling Rain was an above average winner of the UAE 2000 Guineas Trial, run over 1,400m. He bettered the time set by Music Chart, who won the fillies' equivalent, by nearly a second. He was also carrying 7.5kgs more than I'm Back. The penalties were for being not only a southern hemisphere-bred colt but also for recording the Grade 1 success that resulted in him being named the champion juvenile of South Africa.
There was no doubt that when the race was wrapped up, Soft Falling Rain began to edge right under pressure of having to travel the furthest he had ever gone. The prized possession of Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid was unbeaten in four starts in South Africa, with his career there culminating in the easy victory in the Grade 1 SA Nursery over 1,160m.
It has led some to suggest that the colt might not be totally genuine in his attitude to racing, but De Kock strongly refutes that claim.
"I wouldn't worry about that," he said. "It was his first run at night, it was his first try going left-handed and he will be more experienced and will be fitter."
As for the distance of tonight's race, De Kock is unsure as to whether his charge will last from his wide draw in Gate 8 and against competition which includes Godolphin's American recruit Fortify.
Soft Falling Rain is by National Assembly, a sire that produces quick-as-lightning sprinters such as National Currency, who made all and trounced the field by over six lengths in the 2004 Al Shindagha Sprint at Nad Al Sheba.
His mother is a mare who was sired by the great Giant's Causeway, who won three Group 1 races over 10 furlongs but as breeding is an inexact science, De Kock says he is relying on intuition and years of experience.
"My gut feeling is that he will get the trip," De Kock said. "He has a high cruising speed from which he can kick off. Hanagan is a professional. I've got the horse fit so it is up to him to judge the pace."
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
Results
Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
