Godolphin admit Saamidd faces a big task to maintain his unbeaten record in today's eagerly-awaited Dewhurst Stakes in England.
He locks horns with the much-vaunted Frankel and Dream Ahead among others in a fascinating Group 1 juvenile contest at Newmarket. Saamidd is perhaps the one with most to prove out of the leading trio but he registered a stylish win in the Champagne Stakes at Doncaster last time.
"He was very impressive at Doncaster but he really needs to step up in order to win," Simon Crisford, Godolphin's racing manager, said. "I think you need to take heed of what Henry Cecil says about Frankel, when he told the press he was the best two-year-old he had had since Wollow.
"That's quite a statement. He was visually very impressive and I personally haven't seen a two-year-old like him.
"It's going to be very hard for Saamidd to win. After Doncaster, Saamidd has gone a bit to sleep. I don't believe that's a bad thing for racehorses but he needs to be back to what he was at Doncaster, and better than that."
Poet's Voice, meanwhile, can make the most of his new-found maturity by making it a Group 1 double for Godolphin in the Dubai Champion Stakes at Newmarket.
The three-year-old promised much after winning the Champagne Stakes as a juvenile but his headstrong tendencies proved his undoing on his first couple of starts this term.
However, he appeared to turn the corner when only narrowly beaten in a Salisbury Group 3 in August, with the Dubawi colt finally content to take up a watching brief.
That impression was duly confirmed on his next outing when winning the Celebration Mile at Goodwood, coming with an electric turn of foot to see off Main Aim by four and a half lengths.
He did not record such a conclusive verdict when stepped up to the highest level in the QEII, but his gutsy nose victory over Juddmonte International victor Rip Van Winkle showed he has developed into a true Group 1 horse.
Poet's Voice will be trying the 10-furlong trip for the first time here but Godolphin's willingness to supplement him at a cost of £30,000 suggests that they genuinely believe he will get the distance.
He gets a handy weight allowance from his older rivals and given his progressive profile, it would be no surprise to see him take another step up.
He will be heading into unknown territory stamina-wise as he tackles 10 furlongs for the first time this weekend, but Crisford is confident it will not be a problem.
"It has taken him so long to switch off that we felt trying a mile and a quarter at this stage is the right thing to do," said Crisford.
Godolphin are bullish about Delegator ahead of his tilt at the Victor Chandler Challenge Stakes today.
The Dansili colt was good enough to chase home Sea The Stars in last year's 2000 Guineas and ran a number of other fine races after joining the Godolphin team.
He returned after almost a year off the track with an excellent comeback victory at Newbury and Crisford expects significant improvement on that performance this weekend. "It was a really solid effort at Newbury as he was very rusty going into the race, having been off for the best part of a year with a wart on the back of his pastern," Crisford said.
"He will improve a whole lot for that and we would be very hopeful we can see him back to his best. He's definitely our best chance of the meeting for a winner and if he runs well, he could go for the Breeders' Cup Mile. He has also been invited for the Hong Kong Mile."
Meanwhile, Marcus Tregoning believes Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid's Rumoush has solid claims in the Pride Stakes at Newmarket today.
The Rahy filly staked her claim for Group success when going down by only a length to Eastern Aria - the Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed-owned horse who will wear the colours of Godolphin in next month's Melbourne Cup - in the Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster last month.
Her only victory this year so far came in the Feilden Stakes on this course in April after which she was tried at the highest level, finishing seventh in the 1000 Guineas and fourth in the Oaks.
"I think she's got a good chance. She goes there fresh and well and on the back of a good run," said the Lambourn trainer.
"The trip is obviously fine for her and she has won at Newmarket before so we have to be hopeful."
Godolphin's three-pronged assault on yesterday's Richard Hambro Darley Stakes at Newmarket failed to yield a winner with Mastery, Al Zir and Vesuve finishing third, fourth and fifth respectively.
England squads for Test and T20 series against New Zealand
Test squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes
T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
Company%20Profile
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
F1 drivers' standings
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 281
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 222
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 177
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 138
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 93
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 86
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 56
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
The biog
Name: Shamsa Hassan Safar
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology
Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels
Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs
Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
EA%20Sports%20FC%2024
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RESULT
Al Hilal 4 Persepolis 0
Khribin (31', 54', 89'), Al Shahrani 40'
Red card: Otayf (Al Hilal, 49')
Company%20Profile
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The biog
Prefers vegetables and fish to meat and would choose salad over pizza
Walks daily as part of regular exercise routine
France is her favourite country to visit
Has written books and manuals on women’s education, first aid and health for the family
Family: Husband, three sons and a daughter
Fathiya Nadhari's instructions to her children was to give back to the country
The children worked as young volunteers in social, education and health campaigns
Her motto is to never stop working for the country
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
AIDA%20RETURNS
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
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
