GHANTOOT // Having bagged the Nations Cup in superb style, the Great Britain quartet are now eying tonight's grand finale prize - the inaugural President's Cup of the UAE - which could be the icing on the cake for them in the three-day Five-Star Championship at the Ghantoot Racing and Polo Club tonight.
"We hope one of us can go on and win the grand finale prize," said Robert Smith. "We had good success in the team event and the President's Cup will truly be the icing on the cake."
"The horses were relaxed and they were just fabulous in the Nations Cup. The competition was tough and we expected this. We got to a good start with Ben [Maher] and Guy [Williams] and then Ellen [Whitaker] did pretty well to keep the balance of the team."
Smith was on the 10-year-old stallion Talan and had the only blemish in the first round with five penalty points but he bounced back in the second round to round off with the team's second best time 77.64 seconds.
The young UAE team, comprising Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum (Kalaska De Semilly), Sheikh Shakboot Al Nahyan (Muscaris D'Ariel), Sheikh Majid Al Qassimi (Co-Jack) and Mohammed al Hajiri (Shakira), finished a creditable fourth in their first ever appearance in a Nations Cup. Germany and the Netherlands stood between them and the champions Great Britain.
"This is the first time we participated at this level and it has been an excellent start," said Sheikh Shakboot. "This is a great result and a springboard for the team to compete in similar Five-Star competitions.
"We went into the competitions looking for a good performance and we have done better than that by finishing fourth. This result will encourage some of the riders to compete at this level individually and as a team in the upcoming competitions."
Al Hajiri said he was only eight when he came to know of some of the international riders like Robert Smith and the German team's double Olympic gold medalist Ulrich Kirchhoff.
"I never thought I'll be competing against them," added al Hajiri. "It was a great experience to compete in the Nations Cup. I have learnt bits and pieces from every rider during this competition, and obviously thrilled at our performance."
Taleb Dhaher Al Muhairi, the secretary general of the Emirates Equestrian Federation, was understandably elated of the UAE's result, saying: "They have proved they can compete at the highest level and we are ready to provide them with all assistance to re-present the country in the future competitions."
Kirchhoff felt the British team was on a real high and it would have taken some effort to get the better of them on the night.
"Of course, we came with the clear intention of winning the Nations Cup but we came up against a team that was just hard to beat. It would have taken a really, really good performance from anyone to beat them on the night."
apassela@thenational.ae
Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
- Ban fruit juice and sodas
- Eat a hearty breakfast that contains fats and wholegrains, such as peanut butter on multigrain toast or full-fat plain yoghurt with whole fruit and nuts, to avoid the need for a 10am snack
- Give young children plain yoghurt with whole fruits mashed into it
- Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
- Don’t eat dessert every day
- Make your own smoothies. Always use the whole fruit to maintain the benefit of its fibre content and don’t add any sweeteners
- Always go for natural whole foods over processed, packaged foods. Ask yourself would your grandmother have eaten it?
- Read food labels if you really do feel the need to buy processed food
- Eat everything in moderation
The specs
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Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
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Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
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- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Mobile phone packages comparison
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Williams at Wimbledon
Venus Williams - 5 titles (2000, 2001, 2005, 2007 and 2008)
Serena Williams - 7 titles (2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015 and 2016)
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HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
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Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV
Power: 360bhp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh282,870
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.
KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.
