The National

The Future Champions Day card was sponsored entirely by Dubai on Saturday, but it was Qatar that muscled in on the action when Strong Suit won the Burj Khalifa Challenge Stakes to set up a trip to next month's Breeders' Cup meeting. The three-year-old colt, owned by Sheikh Fahad Al Thani, took the Group 2 contest in commanding style and will be sent to Churchill Downs by the trainer Richard Hannon in a bid to deny Goldikova a historic fourth victory in the Breeders' Cup Mile.

Whether the problem is declining profits or potential political trouble overseas, investors in Emaar Properties have had little to shout about recently. Even the Burj Khalifa, the developer's most famous project, is facing a looming challenge from Jeddah's Kingdom Tower for the title of the world's tallest building.

Thanks to a minimum spend request of Dh450 per person, I knew, even before I had stepped into the sleek, high-speed lift, ready to be whooshed up to the 122nd floor of the Burj Khalifa, that dinner at At.mosphere Grill, the world's highest restaurant, was going to be expensive. What I'd also expected, though, was that it would impress.

The festival will be held on Emaar Boulevard, overlooking the Burj Khalifa, and is being organised by Emaar Properties in association with the UAE Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development; the Automobile and Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates (ATCUAE); and the Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens - the international authority for historic vehicles.

After inspecting the beautiful apartment, a tour of the building was in order and as I was whisked around a maze of floors and rooms it dawned on me that should my pal and I ever became separated, I would probably never find my way out.

Emaar owns and manages a portfolio of assets such as the Address hotel brands, serviced residences, golf resorts and the Dubai Marina and yacht club. It also has an agreement with Armani to own and run its branded hotels.

Blair Kamin has an update on the Kingdom Tower, the proposed 3,280-ish-foot skyscraper designed by local starchitect Adrian Gill and planned for completion in 2017 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at an estimated cost of $1.23 billion dollars (cheaper than the Burj Khalifa, a Gill project at SOM, thanks to low labor costs).

Dr Ahmed Al Haddad, who is also the head of the Ifta centre at the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department, said the Burj Khalifa, at more than 828 metres tall with 160 storeys, must be divided into three different times for iftar, or the breaking of the fast. He said the three segments are based on when the actual sun set is "visible" to a tenant.

The Infinity Tower in Dubai Marina stands out among the more creative buildings across the Emirates with a new twist to architecture. When completed, the high-rise will be the world's tallest twisted tower, at 73 storeys and 307 metres. It may come as no surprise to learn that Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (Som), the architectural firm behind the Burj Khalifa, designed the striking tower.

Big innovation happens a lot in the Middle East, in fact probably more than anywhere else in the world. Who else would have built Burj Khalifa? I think the reason it's happened a lot is because there is a lot of support from the Government and there's not necessarily the question of a business case behind it. The challenge is on small innovation, the day-to-day stuff.