Racing fans were licking their lips in anticipation when Warmonger arrived in the UAE last year with a reputation with being able to mix it with the very best.
But he could not settle down enough for Doug Watson to get a chance to run him - the champion trainer's only regret from a season filled with victories.
Now, as a fresh season begins, Watson is looking to the five-year-old son of War Chant to do something special for the Red Stables when he does take to the track.
"We never got to run Warmonger and he was the best," says Watson of the horse who was third by one-and-a-quarter lengths in the US Grade One, Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes at Keeneland in 2008.
"We were thinking of him for the Dubai Duty Free last season and now, after having the summer off, we have taken him right back to the beginning and we are going to build him back up for racing."
Barbecue Eddie, Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid's sprinter, is also a big hope for the coming season. Fourth by five lengths to Benny the Bull in the 2008 Dubai Golden Shaheen, the horse, a gelded son of Stormy Atlantic, was unable to recapture that form last year on the Nad al Sheba's dirt surface. "We think he will do better on the new synthetic track because he's more of a turf horse," says Watson. "We don't know for sure what the surface will be yet, but if it's tapeta [a kind of synthetic surface] like the training track they already have there, then it is a surface that we think he will go better on.
"He is a talented horse but he's not big and strong and it's normally the more physical horses that pull themselves through the dirt quicker."
Another Sheikh Hamdan horse, Kalahari Gold, a close third to Mike de Kock's now-retired Archipenko in the Group Three Zabeel Mile, may emulate the 2008 Audemars Piguet QEII Cup-winner and go to Hong Kong in December.
"We don't know at this stage," says Watson. "I will speak to Sheikh Hamdan closer to the time and if all is well we could consider the Hong Kong Mile. It's a shame there won't really be races for him before then so it depends on what he shows us at home."
Aqraam, who ran fourth to the 2008 Dubai World Cup winner Curlin in that year's preparatory race, the Jaguar Trophy, suffered with sore shins in 2009. He managed two fourth places in handicaps, but he seems to be on target for this year, says Watson.
"He probably wants a bit of cut in the ground," says Watson. "But he does have some ability and this year we will find out how much."
Watson also maintains a small string of talented purebred Arabians, also owned by Sheikh Hamdan, such as the President's Cup-winner Nirwan, Dubai Kayahla Classic third, Paris Gagner, and Al Maktoum Challenge Round One winner, Kandar du Falgas.
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Cherry
Directed by: Joe and Anthony Russo
Starring: Tom Holland, Ciara Bravo
1/5
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The specs: 2019 Jeep Wrangler
Price, base: Dh132,000
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 285hp @ 6,400rpm
Torque: 347Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.6L to 10.3L / 100km
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now