A super Saturday is on the cards for Godolphin as the Dubai-based racing operation competes for two Group 1 prizes in as many continents this weekend.
Astoria and Sanctioned carry Godolphin’s hopes in the Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick, Australia, while Arabian Hope and Usherette have been picked to run in the Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket, United Kingdom.
Godolphin’s confidence in both Sanctioned and Astoria is high after the duo finished second and fifth behind High Ace in the Group 3 Gloaming Stakes at Rosehill Racecourse in Sydney two weeks ago.
Trainer James Cummings said both horses can step up in a race regarded as the autumn benchmark for middle-distance three-year-olds.
Astoria, the colt by Medaglia d’Oro who has won two Group 3 prizes in six starts, will be ridden by Glyn Schofield for the first time.
“Astoria switched off last start on the short back up after having an easy week leading into the Gloaming,” Cummings told the Godolphin website.
“He has responded to a better preparation for this more important race, his energy levels are right back up and he appears to have gone to another level with the re-application of winkers [cheek pieces] to keep him focused.
“He’s a very talented colt who has a lot to offer. He gets his chance on Saturday in a very good field,” Cummings added.
Kerrin McEvoy is atop Sanctioned, who enters the race after having finished ahead of his stable companion in his most recent start.
“In five starts to date he’s not shirked the task once. He’s finished in the placings every time,” Cummings added of the chestnut son of Teofilo. “He bumped into colts who are really flying at his past two, so I didn’t walk away too disappointed from those races.
“He’s just going ahead in his own time and if he happens to produce his best performance here, fourth up and in a Group 1, I’d be delighted.”
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The form and fortunes of Godolphin's pair running in the northern hemisphere are also said to be good. Usherette trained in France by Andre Farbe and Saeed bin Suroor’s Arabian Hope come into the Sun Chariot both having won their most recent starts.
Usherette stayed strong in a Listed race at Maisons-Lafitte and Arabian Hope was winner of a Group 3 prize in Turkey.
Also in the wide-open, 13-runner field, Aidan O’Brien, chasing his 23rd Group 1 prize for the season, marches two out in the Sun Chariot with Roly Poly – the mount of Ryan Moore – and Alluringly.
Nathra, in the silks of Dubai businessman Abdullah Saeed Al Naboodah, would be the one to watch although tackling the 2,000-metre distance for the first time in 12 career starts.
The four-year-old daughter of Iffraaj, trained by John Gosden, has improved with every run from all four starts after returning to the track from an injury suffered last season.
She finished runner up in the Group 2 Alan Wood Plumbing And Heating Park Stakes at Doncaster.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Company Profile
Company name: NutriCal
Started: 2019
Founder: Soniya Ashar
Based: Dubai
Industry: Food Technology
Initial investment: Self-funded undisclosed amount
Future plan: Looking to raise fresh capital and expand in Saudi Arabia
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Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
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Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
A Bad Moms Christmas
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Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
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