"In addition, the opening of Meydan racecourse in Dubai likely has changed Godolphin’s need for United States-based dirt runners, since Meydan has a synthetic Tapeta surface."

"It would be a large irony, indeed, if Magnier & Co. pulled a Kentucky Derby runner out of the UAE Derby hat in Sheikh Mohammed's backyard."

"The most successful Carnival trainer, bin Suroor is seeking his 100th winner at the annual racing extravaganza, while South African De Kock, second to bin Suroor in the Carnival statistics, is on 99 UAE winners. It will be a major surprise if at least one does not bring up their century."

"Although there have been no obvious signs of a reconciliation, Magnier's decision to authorise entries will lead to speculation that an olive branch has been offered to Sheikh Mohammed, whose desire to further raise the status of Dubai racing has been hampered by an absence of runners from Ballydoyle."

"De Kock has adapted his methods at the carnival and, recognising the need to have his runners fit first time out, gave four of his charges prep races during the domestic season. The fact that one, Mahuba, managed to win, suggests much better is to come for the trainer who will once again rely on the services of Christophe Soumillon and Kevin Shea, with Pat Cosgrave also expected to come in for some rides."

"I wonder whether, after this spectacular World Cup, the true tradition of horse racing in Dubai -- the family tradition -- will endure."

"Quite why the Emir was so generous is unclear, but some say that as the ruler of a small state surrounded by big and powerful neighbours, he was an admirer of the plucky Falklanders and their refusal to be cowed by Argentina."

Of the 38 races run over Meydan's Tapeta track, only three have been won by front-runners. "Four have been taken by horses pressing the pace or tracking the leader, with nine taken by trackers in third, fourth or fifth. Winners coming from mid-pack in fields of at least 10 horses number 15, while seven have come from at or near the back of the pack. So 58 percent of this season's Meydan synthetic winners - 22 of 38 - have been closers." Quite different from what one jockey expected prior to Meydan's opening: "Horses coming up from behind will find it very difficult so it’s going to suit horses that like racing up in the first five." (From: http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100114/SPORT/701139915/1004/sport)

"Dubai remains ideally placed as the potential nexus of a maturing international sport. Certainly there will be a far greater geographical spread of competition than at the Breeders' Cup, which bills itself as the World Thoroughbred Championships.... [At Santa Anita] there is now distressing talk of the synthetic track being restored to dirt. One conceivable reward for this shocking regression might be a permanent contract to stage the Breeders' Cup. If that were so, the painful but necessary catharsis currently underway in the American sport would be disastrously reversed by its reactionaries. And their inevitable isolation would provide an obvious cue for Meydan."

"The next step has always been obvious: a festival meeting at the other end of the season. The question is whether the Sheikh still has the energy, the clout and, for that matter, the money to make it happen. Were it not for the unfortunate matter of the entire country nearly going bust a few months ago, the timing would seem ideal. The Breeders' Cup awarded itself the subtitle 'World Thoroughbred Championships' several years ago, but it will be back on dirt this year after two years on an artificial surface. Now that even Santa Anita is apparently ready to reinstall dirt too, American racing seems more inward-looking than ever."

More on Dubai: Responding to "The dark side of Dubai," Desert Blogger reminds readers, "it's important to get things in perspective. The lack of media freedom ... has the unfortunate side effect of destroying credibility ... it is simply not possible to differentiate the truths from the half-truths, and the assumptions from the downright lies, unless you are here, staring it in the face." But here's the thing, while the Independent article definitely had a marxist slant, its main point re: the socioeconomic structure of Dubai is not being refuted. Instead, critics reply with ...

First World retorts to the reportage: "As far as I can tell there is a crunch going on, just like everywhere else.... The mood is the same, if not maybe slightly more upbeat than the US or Japan these days. Instead of taking an hour and a half to get across town, it takes half an hour, instead of 3 days in advance reservations for the lounge/bar at The Address, it's 2 days and you can usually get a table at the nice restaurants with less than a hour wait now ... usually."

And umbrage: "Say for example that I had written an article that states that, in wealthy first world Britain there are 380,000 homeless people, many of them mentally ill, starving and abandoned in sub-zero temperatures to live on the streets ..." Be polite? That's where that argument goes. But avoiding the subject gets no closer to answering the question the Independent reporter started with: What is daily life and the economy like in Dubai now, for expats and immigrant laborers?

"The thing you have to understand about Dubai is – nothing is what it seems," Karen says at last. "Nothing. This isn't a city, it's a con-job. They lure you in telling you it's one thing – a modern kind of place – but beneath the surface it's a medieval dictatorship."