Tadhg O'Shea rode the 800th winner of his UAE career at Meydan's New Year's meet aboard Tuz. Pawan Singh / The National
Tadhg O'Shea rode the 800th winner of his UAE career at Meydan's New Year's meet aboard Tuz. Pawan Singh / The National
Tadhg O'Shea rode the 800th winner of his UAE career at Meydan's New Year's meet aboard Tuz. Pawan Singh / The National
Tadhg O'Shea rode the 800th winner of his UAE career at Meydan's New Year's meet aboard Tuz. Pawan Singh / The National

Tadhg O’Shea celebrates 800th winner on 'special horse' Tuz


Amith Passela
  • English
  • Arabic

Tadhg O’Shea celebrated his 800th winner in the UAE atop one of his favourite horses, Tuz, at the Dubai Carnival’s New Year meeting at Meydan on Friday.

The Irishman’s victory on the Bhupat Seemar-trained Oxbow gelding extended his position as the all-time leading jockey in the country since he surpassed the earlier record of 503 set by Richard Hills in March 2019.

Tuz and O’Shea were impressive winners of the Group 3 Dubai Stakes. The horse and rider were also completing a hat-trick after their previous success in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen at last year's Dubai World Cup and the Listed Al Garhoud Sprint on his reappearance on December 6.

“I've been coming here, like all day. I'm very grateful for the Maktoum family and the great team that I have been working with,” O’Shea said.

O’Shea first arrived in the UAE when he was presented an all-expense paid scholarship by the late Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid to ride in the country when he won the Irish apprentice championship as a 19-year-old jockey in 1998.

“I have been riding here for 24 seasons,” he said. “It was Sheikh Hamdan who brought me out here. I've been coming back ever since. So, forever grateful to him.”

O’Shea, drawn in Gate 2, held the rails as Bernardo Pinheiro on Desperate Hero took him on early in the 1,200-metre sprint. It was one of the rare occasions that Tuz had to race in second.

“I had the draw and wanted to hold the rail. But, you know, we're learning about toes. Down to that first spin, Bernardo was adamant he wanted to go to the front.

“So, I took back and had a breather. I think the key with this horse is that he used to never change his leads. I've been on him every work since the end of September. He really worked on that this year and he's doing it like, thank God, it's two for two now this year.

“Hopefully he keeps doing it because when he gets out on that outside lead down the straight, horses will pay if they go with him.

“He's one of the fastest in the world, he's one of the best sprinters I've ever thrown my leg across; he's got everything, he hits the gates, he travels, and when he gets out on that outside lead and he's a great way to win. He's a special horse.”

Tadhg O'Shea guides Tuz to victory in the 1200m dirt race at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National
Tadhg O'Shea guides Tuz to victory in the 1200m dirt race at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

Seemar was expecting Desperate Hero to take him on from the outset, which he did on his first outing at Meydan.

“We looked at all the horses' forms this morning. We thought that this horse would probably take him on early,” the Zabeel Stables trainer said of the five-year-old French import.

Seemar has a couple options for Tuz between now and his title defence of the Dubai Golden Shaheen at the Dubai World Cup in March.

“I think I'll have to go back and see. I know that on the first of March is Super Saturday and then the World Cup on 5 April. So that does give us plenty of time,” Seemar said.

“We'll have to have a look. But maybe I don't want to wait two months not to give him a run. We might have to go to Al Shindagha Sprint [January 24] and then just take it on from there.

“There’s lots of options for one of the world's best sprinters.”

Bhupat Seemar guides Tadhg O'Shea aboard Tuz to the winner's enclosure at Meydan. Pawan Singh / The National
Bhupat Seemar guides Tadhg O'Shea aboard Tuz to the winner's enclosure at Meydan. Pawan Singh / The National

Earlier in the card, Connor Beasley denied O’Shea twice from reaching his milestone.

Beasley on Rasas edged out O’Shea and Bombay Bazaar in The Sword of Excellence Stakes, the official feature race in celebration of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid bin Mohammed’s graduation from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

He completed the double 35 minutes later by steering Golden Vekoma to success, again from O’Shea atop Nimble Boy, by two-and-a-quarter lengths in the UAE 2,000 Guineas Trial.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

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Price: From Dh650,000

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

War and the virus
While you're here
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%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20S%20Frederick%20Starr%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Oxford%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20290%3Cbr%3EAvailable%3A%20January%2024%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

How to keep control of your emotions

If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.

Greed

Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.

Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.

Fear

The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.

Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.

Hope

While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.

Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.

Frustration

Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.

Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.

Boredom

Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.

Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.

Long read

Mageed Yahia, director of WFP in UAE: Coronavirus knows no borders, and neither should the response

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Xpanceo

Started: 2018

Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov

Based: Dubai, UAE

Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality

Funding: $40 million

Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)

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Why does a queen bee feast only on royal jelly?

Some facts about bees:

The queen bee eats only royal jelly, an extraordinary food created by worker bees so she lives much longer

The life cycle of a worker bee is from 40-60 days

A queen bee lives for 3-5 years

This allows her to lay millions of eggs and allows the continuity of the bee colony

About 20,000 honey bees and one queen populate each hive

Honey is packed with vital vitamins, minerals, enzymes, water and anti-oxidants.

Apart from honey, five other products are royal jelly, the special food bees feed their queen 

Pollen is their protein source, a super food that is nutritious, rich in amino acids

Beewax is used to construct the combs. Due to its anti-fungal, anti-bacterial elements, it is used in skin treatments

Propolis, a resin-like material produced by bees is used to make hives. It has natural antibiotic qualities so works to sterilize hive,  protects from disease, keeps their home free from germs. Also used to treat sores, infection, warts

Bee venom is used by bees to protect themselves. Has anti-inflammatory properties, sometimes used to relieve conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, nerve and muscle pain

Honey, royal jelly, pollen have health enhancing qualities

The other three products are used for therapeutic purposes

Is beekeeping dangerous?

As long as you deal with bees gently, you will be safe, says Mohammed Al Najeh, who has worked with bees since he was a boy.

“The biggest mistake people make is they panic when they see a bee. They are small but smart creatures. If you move your hand quickly to hit the bees, this is an aggressive action and bees will defend themselves. They can sense the adrenalin in our body. But if we are calm, they are move away.”

 

 

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Updated: January 04, 2025, 2:44 AM`