Showdown gathering steam in 2026 Shergar Cup at Ascot
Four teams, including the new Team Hong Kong, shaping up for annual jockeys’ series
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The winning trio, comprising captain Suraj Narredu (left), Ryusei Sakai (centre) and Mirai Iwata, from Team Asia claiming top honours in the Shergar Cup at Ascot on Aug 9, 2025.
PHOTO: ASCOT RACECOURSE
Sharon Zhang
The 2026 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup will see four teams compete for top honours at Ascot’s annual team horseracing event on Aug 8, albeit with a name change to one of the representing teams.
Inaugurated at Goodwood in 1999 and held at Ascot since 2000, the 25th edition of the Shergar Cup – named in honour of Shergar, one of the greatest middle-distance horses trained by the legendary Michael Stoute – features a thrilling six-race contest between jockeys divided into four teams.
While the number of teams has changed over the years since the launch of this highlight summer event in 1999, it has become a prominent four-team competition since 2012.
It was made up of the Great Britain & Ireland, Europe, Rest of the World and Ladies team from 2012 to 2024.
In 2025, Team Asia replaced Team Ladies. Captained by Indian jockey Suraj Narredu and joined by Japanese jockeys Ryusei Sakai and Mirai Iwata, Team Asia were crowned champions at their only appearance in the Shergar Cup when they beat Team Europe into second.
Now, Team Hong Kong take the place of Team Asia. They will go up against other stellar international riders in the Great Britain & Ireland, Europe and Rest of the World teams, in which the team with the most points at the end of the six races win the competition.
Points are awarded to the first five horses to pass the winning post, with 15 points for first place, 10 for second, seven for third, five for fourth and three for fifth.
Besides that, the jockey who accumulates the most points will win the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle award, which was awarded to Australian jockey Hugh Bowman in 2025.
Vincent Ho, who is best known for his association with the retired Hong Kong champion miler Golden Sixty, will captain Team Hong Kong at his second appearance in the Shergar Cup.
Ho was successful at his first appearance in the Shergar Cup with the Rest of the World team in 2019, when he rode his first Ascot winner Power Of Darkness in the Shergar Cup Mile.
“It’s a privilege to represent Team Hong Kong. It’s the first time Team Hong Kong participates in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup; we’ll definitely do our best to represent Hong Kong,” said Ho to the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
“I had a really great experience at Ascot in 2019. It’s one of the best racecourses in the world.”
He will be joined by rising talent Jerry Chau and Hong Kong-based South African jockey Luke Ferraris, who are both making their Shergar Cup debuts.
Australia’s Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Jamie Melham has been announced as the global event ambassador and captain of the Rest of the World team.
Narredu returns to join Melham after his win in 2025, while the well-respected Japanese jockey Yukata Take – who has won four races from eight Shergar Cup appearances previously – will also be part of the team.
French-born and eight-time Japan champion jockey Christophe Lemaire, together with French rider Marie Velon and the French-based Norwegian rising star Frida Valle Skar, who is making her debut in the Shergar Cup, make up Team Europe.
Both Lemaire and Velon have competed in the Shergar Cup once before.
Saffie Osborne has been announced as the first confirmed rider for the Great Britain & Ireland team. She was one of Britain’s leading female riders who played a starring role with two winners in the Ladies team – alongside Hayley Turner and Hollie Doyle – when they won the 2023 Shergar Cup.
Said Nick Smith, Director of Racing and Public Affairs at Ascot racecourse: “This will be the 25th running of the Shergar Cup at Ascot and it’s exciting to see another evolution of the event, with World Pool and Hong Kong Jockey Club’s involvement for the first time.
“As ever, we are hugely grateful to Dubai Duty Free for their support of this event, and of British and Irish racing as a whole.”
The Shergar Cup meeting is also followed by a post-race concert.
The music line-up for 2026 includes popular artistes like B*Witched, Blue and Irish pop duo Boyzlife, featuring former Boyzone and Westlife members Keith Duffy and Brian McFadden.
