English stayer Mad Rush, right, with jockey Michael Murphy on board and Bauer, left, with jockey Luis Lopes go through their paces in preparation for this year's Melbourne Cup.
English stayer Mad Rush, right, with jockey Michael Murphy on board and Bauer, left, with jockey Luis Lopes go through their paces in preparation for this year's Melbourne Cup.

Foreign raiders tipped for Melbourne glory



SYDNEY // The English stayer Mad Rush and the Irish stallion Septimus were vying for outright favourite status for tomorrow's Melbourne Cup after Australian gamblers deserted their best local horses to plunge on the foreign challengers. The two imports were listed on most major betting markets around odds of 4-1 after a huge betting plunge on the eve of the A$5.5 million (Dh13.5m) race. European horses have a poor record in the Melbourne Cup, winning the 148-year-old race on just two occasions, but most Australians believe they have the gruelling 3,200 metres handicap at their mercy this year.

The Australian master trainer Bart Cummings, a winner of a record 11 Melbourne Cups, said the influx of foreign horses had turned the race into a game of "spot the Aussie". There are a record equalling seven European-trained runners in this year's field, reduced from 24 to 22 with the scratchings of Zarita and Yellowstone, plus four from New Zealand. The foreign crop are considered vastly superior to the locals over longer distances as most homegrown runners are bred to sprint.

Australia's best stayer, last year's winner Efficient, pulled out last month because of an injury, leaving his stablemate Zipping (15-1) and Barbaricus (17-1) to lead the local challenge. Mad Rush is aiming to become the first English-prepared horse to win the race and stormed into calculations after a fast-finishing fourth in last month's Caulfield Cup, the traditional lead-up event. The trainer Luca Cumani also has a second runner in Bauer, which won last month's Geelong Cup to secure a spot in the field. Cumani finished second with Purple Moon last year and Mad Rush has been the best backed horse in the lead up to the race.

"The order [of popularity] yesterday was Mad Rush then Profound Beauty, then Zipping, then Nom Du Jeu and then Barbaricus and Septimus not too far away from each other," said Glenn Munsie of TAB Sportsbet. "It's not actually large bets on Mad Rush, it's very consistent money but not huge money." Ireland have four runners in the race, three from the stable of Aidan O'Brien and another getting the polish off Dermot Weld, the man who triggered the foreign invasion with his wins on Vintage Crop (1993) and Media Puzzle (2002).

Weld's representative this year is Profound Beauty, a lightly raced mare that snuck in with a light weight and will be ridden by Glen Boss. Boss won the race three times in a row from 2003-05 with Australia's greatest race mare Makybe Diva. "She gives me every indication she will run the distance but you never know until you try," Boss said. "You can never underestimate someone like Dermot Weld." O'Brien has three runners ? Septimus, Honolulu and Allesandro Volta ? but Septimus is his best chance. The six-year-old is Europe's reigning champion stayer and won his last race, the Irish St Leger (2,816m), by 13 lengths, but has to carry the top weight of 58.5 kilograms.

"Septimus speaks for himself. He is a class horse. Whether he can do it in a handicap, we'll find out on Tuesday," O'Brien told reporters. "If it was in a conditioned race over two miles, he would be a very short price. He is in very good form and obviously was a very good winner last time, but I don't think any horse is unbeatable." France will have their first Cup runner this year in Vareeves while New Zealand will saddle up four hopes, including the Caulfield Cup runner-up Nom Du Jeu.

Despite worries about a foreign winner and the effects of the global financial crisis, more than 100,000 people are expected to cram into Flemington racecourse while millions more will watch the race on television. The country grinds to a halt and tunes into the two-and-a-half minute scramble, attracting bets estimated in excess of A$200 million ($135 million) in total. *Reuters

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
Allardyce's management career

Clubs (10) - Limerick (1991-1992), Perston North End (1992), Blackpool (1994-1996), Notts County (1997-1999), Bolton Wanderers (1999-2007), Newcastle United (2007-2008), Blackburn Rovers (2008-2010), West Ham United (2011-2015), Sunderland (2016), Crystal Palace (2016-2017)

Countries (1) - England (2016)

How will Gen Alpha invest?

Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.

“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.

Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.

He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.

Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”

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
The biog

Favourite food: Fish and seafood

Favourite hobby: Socialising with friends

Favourite quote: You only get out what you put in!

Favourite country to visit: Italy

Favourite film: Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

Family: We all have one!

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Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League final:

Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports

RESULTS

5pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m

Winner AF Nashrah, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

5.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,400m

Winner Mutaqadim, Riccardo Iacopini, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.

6pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner Hameem, Jose Santiago, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

6.30pm Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m

Winner AF Almomayaz, Sandro Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

7pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m

Winner Dalil Al Carrere, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash.

7.30pm Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m

Winner Lahmoom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.

8pm Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,000m

Winner Jayide Al Boraq, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.

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

The specs: 2019 Audi A7 Sportback

Price, base: Dh315,000

Engine: 3.0-litre V6

Transmission: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 335hp @ 5,000rpm

Torque: 500Nm @ 1,370rpm

Fuel economy 5.9L / 100km

Scoreline

Man Utd 2 Pogba 27', Martial 49'

Everton 1 Sigurdsson 77'

The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now

Kathryn Hawkes of House of Hawkes on being a good guest (because we’ve all had bad ones)

  • Arrive with a thank you gift, or make sure you have one for your host by the time you leave. 
  • Offer to buy groceries, cook them a meal or take your hosts out for dinner.
  • Help out around the house.
  • Entertain yourself so that your hosts don’t feel that they constantly need to.
  • Leave no trace of your stay – if you’ve borrowed a book, return it to where you found it.
  • Offer to strip the bed before you go.
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Power: 268bhp / 536bhp
Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
On sale: Later this year
Jigra
Director: Vasan Bala
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Rated: 3.5/5
Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

Company%20profile%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EElggo%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20August%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Luma%20Makari%20and%20Mirna%20Mneimneh%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Education%20technology%20%2F%20health%20technology%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESize%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Four%20employees%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-seed%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Penguin

Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz

Creator: Lauren LeFranc

Rating: 4/5

 

 

 

The past winners

2009 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)

2010 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)

2011 - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)

2012 - Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)

2013 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull)

2014 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2015 - Nico Rosberg (Mercedes)

2016 - Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2017 - Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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ENGLAND%20SQUAD
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