Doug Watson was left celebrating in the rain after saddling the first three home in the Group 3 Firebreak Stakes, the highlight of week four of the Dubai World Cup Carnival meeting at Meydan on Friday.
Sam Hitchcock on Prince Eiji turned the 1,600-metre race a competition among the stable companions after shadowing early leader Mickael Barzalona and Ever Given.
Hitchcock took over the running at the halfway mark and raced home to win from Pat Dobbs atop Everfast and Adrie de Vries onboard Thegreatcollection by a length and-a-quarter and half-a-length on sloppy underfoot conditions.
The seven-year-old Dubawi gelding in the silks of Sheikh Mohammed Obaid was winning for the second time in three starts in the season.
He was successful over the track and trip on his reappearance in the Listed Dubai Creek Mile in December and unplaced over the same course and distance in the Group 2 Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 in his next start in January.
“Obviously it is a great result for the whole team and Sheikh Mohammed Obaid,” seven-time UAE champion trainer Watson said.
“It was nice to see the winner bounce back, Everfast has run very well and Thegreatcollection was staying on. It was a fantastic result and Prince Eiji had a lovely tow into the race and has done that in style.”
Tadhg O’Shea and Bhupat Seemar combined to land a double on the night, claiming the 1,900m dirt handicap with Franz Strauss for Greg Bryce.
The jockey and trainer were back in the winner’s enclosure after the finale, a 1,400m dirt handicap, this time combing with Al Rashid Stables whose silks were carried to victory aboard Western Symphony.
Godolphin picked up two of the four prizes they had their runners in the eight-race card.
Saeed bin Suroor’s Mawj, under Patrick Cosgrave, just held on to clinch the Jumeirah Fillies Classic from fellow Godolphin trainer Charlie Appleby’s Dream Of Love with William Buick in the saddle.
It was a third career success for the filly, winner of the 1,200m Group 2 Duchess Of Cambridge Stakes at York in July last year.
“I started to ask her for an effort too early in all probability, especially on that ground, but she has a touch of class which has saved the day,” Cosgrave said.
Class prevailed in the Jumeirah Classic, a turf Listed race over 1,800m for three year olds, with Godolphin’s Naval Power leading the first three home for the royal blues.
The homebred Teofilo colt with a rating of 110 arrived after suffering his first defeat in five starts, in the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes, in early October, and bounced back in style to win from stable companions One Nation and Highbank by a length and-a-quarter and three lengths and three quarter respectively.
Results
6pm: Festival City Stakes – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Lahresh, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi (trainer)
6.35pm: Dubai Sprint – Listed (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Coachello, Pat Dobbs, Gordon Elliott
7.10pm: Race 3 – Handicap (TB) $75,000 (D) 1,900m; Winner: Franz Strauss, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
7.45pm: Jumeirah Fillies Classic – Conditions (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Mawj, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
8.20pm: Zabeel Turf – Handicap (TB) $100,000 (T) 2,000m; Winner: Good Fortune, Theo Bachelot, Soren Jensen
8.55pm: Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Prince Eiji, Sam Hitchcott, Doug Watson
9.30pm: Jumeirah Classic – Listed (TB) $150,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Naval Power, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
10.05pm: Race 8 – Handicap (TB) $75,000 (D) 1,400m; Winner: Western Symphony, Tadhg O’Shea, Bhupat Seemar
How%20I%20connect%20with%20my%20kids%20when%20working%20or%20travelling
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England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
The biog
Family: wife, four children, 11 grandchildren, 16 great-grandchildren
Reads: Newspapers, historical, religious books and biographies
Education: High school in Thatta, a city now in Pakistan
Regrets: Not completing college in Karachi when universities were shut down following protests by freedom fighters for the British to quit India
Happiness: Work on creative ideas, you will also need ideals to make people happy
Book%20Details
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Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
More on Quran memorisation:
Can NRIs vote in the election?
Indians residing overseas cannot cast their ballot abroad
Non-resident Indians or NRIs can vote only by going to a polling booth in their home constituency
There are about 3.1 million NRIs living overseas
Indians have urged political parties to extend the right to vote to citizens residing overseas
A committee of the Election Commission of India approved of proxy voting for non-resident Indians
Proxy voting means that a person can authorise someone residing in the same polling booth area to cast a vote on his behalf.
This option is currently available for the armed forces, police and government officials posted outside India
A bill was passed in the lower house of India’s parliament or the Lok Sabha to extend proxy voting to non-resident Indians
However, this did not come before the upper house or Rajya Sabha and has lapsed
The issue of NRI voting draws a huge amount of interest in India and overseas
Over the past few months, Indians have received messages on mobile phones and on social media claiming that NRIs can cast their votes online
The Election Commission of India then clarified that NRIs could not vote online
The Election Commission lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police asking it to clamp down on the people spreading misinformation
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
RESULTS
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Rajeh, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi (trainer)
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes – Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Get Back Goldie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Sovereign Prince, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Hot Rod Charlie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Withering, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
9.30pm: Balanchine – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Creative Flair, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
