Ascot’s Shergar Cup Will Serve Up a Thrilling Spectacle
Author:
Roy Brindley
ITV Racing are taking the unusual step of broadcasting all six races on Saturday’s Ascot card live. The special occasion is the popular annual Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup competition. This unique jockeys challenge sees four teams of three jockeys compete for points in ten-runner races with the winning side, based on points, taking the title and a silver trophy of Shergar.
The Ladies team, comprising of Emma-Jayne Wilson, Hayley Turner and Sammy Jo Bell celebrate after winning the 2015 Shergar Cup.
The Shergar Cup Format
First staged in 1999 the Shergar Cup, named after the 1981 Derby winner who was stolen and held to ransom in 1983, has become a popular event on the racing calendar. The format frequently changed during its early years, but the current template has remained constant since 2006.
On Saturday teams representing Great Britain, Ireland, Ladies, and the Rest of the World will earn 15 points for a race winner, 10 points for a second, seven points for third, five points for fourth and three points for fifth. The six races are all high-grade handicaps with race distances varying from five-furlongs to two-miles.
Some of the sport’s biggest riding stars will be on display. This year’s Derby winning rider Adam Kirby captain’s Great Britain. James Doyle and the up-and-coming Cieren Fallon, who rode a Royal Ascot winner this year, join him.
2021 Gold Cup winning jockey Joe Fanning carries the armband for Ireland. His teammates are David Egan, who has enjoyed big-race success in Saudi Arabia and Dubai this year, and another globe-trotting rider Tadhg O’Shea. He is a nine-time UAE Champion jockey.
Formidable Ladies Team
What’s being described as “a formidable Ladies team” will be captained by Hayley Turner. The Group 1 winning rider is the most successful jockey in the history of the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup with eight winners and 297 points from 13 appearances. Turner’s team also features globe-trotting sensation Micka?lle Michel from France and Scottish jockey Nicola Currie who makes her first appearance in the competition.
Possibly the least known of all riders in this year’s Shergar Cup, Michel was France’s Champion Apprentice in 2018 with 72 race victories, the most wins in a calendar year by a female jockey in France. She has since had a successful riding stint in Japan partnering 30 winners and setting a record for wins by a foreign jockey on a short-term license.
“I am really excited to ride in the Shergar Cup. It is a new experience for me, I have never ridden in the UK. I am riding at one of the most famous racecourses with famous jockeys and on Shergar Cup Day. I know there is a special atmosphere, so I cannot wait for Saturday,” Michel enthused during an online press conference.
Swaziland-born Classic-winning jockey Sean Levey will lead the Rest of the World team. He will be joined by Kevin Stott from Denmark who tasted Royal Ascot success for the first time in 2020 with a final day double that included Hello Youmzain in the Diamond Jubilee Stakes. Completing the line-up is the Sardinian-born Andrea Atzeni who has won both the St Leger and the Canadian International Stakes twice.
A Bookies Favorite
If the jockey line-up is exciting the action will be even better. The early Shergar Cup betting at leading online bookmaker Unibet sees the Ladies Team trade as 2/1 favorites. Great Britain follows at 5/2. The Rest of the World squad can be backed at 3/1 and Ireland are the outsiders at 10/3. In the ‘top jockey’ market it is Nicola Currie who is expected to fare best. She is the bookies favorite but at 9/2 this is clearly wide-open. Bookmakers love this annual event as they can turn their markets in play. With 40 points allocated every race, the leaderboard can change very quickly. The competition is rarely decided before the final contest. The racing is always highly competitive and none of Saturday’s races feature a short-priced favorite.
With the Covid-19 pandemic forcing the cancellation of last year’s competition, this will be the 19th edition of the Shergar Cup. The Rest of the World have been the most successful team overall with seven victories. However, the Ladies team has been the one to side with in recent times. They were successful in 2015 and 2018. Furthermore, they produced the ‘top jockey’ in 2019, 2018 (Hayley Turner) and 2015 (Sammy Jo Bell).
