A crowd of more than 27,500, the biggest outside of the Royal Meeting, flocked to Ascot Racecourse, UK, to see the Ladies’ Team successfully defend their Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup title for a second consecutive year.
The unique concept and record prize money of GBP 500,000 across the event’s six races ensured the support of many of the sports leading owners and trainers and drew a star-studded line-up of domestic and international riders.
Alpana Cidambi presents the Dubai Duty Free Ride of the Day Trophy to Rachel King with (l-r) Ramesh Cidambi, Breeda McLoughlin, Colm McLoughlin and Senior Vice President – Marketing, Sinead El Sibai
Four teams contested the world’s premier international jockeys’ competition which for the first time featured an equal representation of male and female riders with the Rest of the World team made up of international women jockeys from Australia, Japan and South Africa.
They faced the formidable Ladies Team, and two teams of three riders each representing Europe and Great Britain & Ireland.
There were so many stars, perhaps the brightest being Ladies’ Team captain, Hayley Turner, who last month racked up her 1000th winner and ahead of the 2024 renewal, already acknowledged as the event’s most successful participant leading the tables for most winners and most points scored in the sixteen years she has taken part.
The opener, the five furlong Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash, went to South Africa’s only professional female rider and Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup debutante Rachel Venniker. Holkham Bay was her first ride in the UK though she had been getting acquainted with scene riding out for leading trainer William Haggas in Newmarket. And with Japan’s Nanako Fujita finishing fourth on Adaay In Devon the Rest of the World were off to a flying start.
Venniker was joined at the head of the table after the next race, the longest of the day the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers over two miles when Hayley Turner added to her totals with a dynamic ride on Ranch Hand. He would normally wear the Mill Reef black and yellow colours of the Kingsclere Racing Club – here it was the pink and black of the Ladies Team.
Ranch Hand’s trainer, Andrew Balding, who took over at Kingsclere from his father Ian, was full of praise for Turner’s ride. “She comes down every week to ride work and I’ve found a good few opportunities for her to ride the lighter weights. Ranch Hand was carrying the burden of 9st 11lbs – but it’s hard to stop Hayley at this meeting,” he said.
Alpana Cidambi presents the Dubai Duty Free Ride of the Day Trophy to Rachel King with (l-r) Ramesh Cidambi, Breeda McLoughlin, Colm McLoughlin and Senior Vice President – Marketing, Sinead El Sibai.
It was victory for the yellow and black of the Rest of the World team, sported by yet another female rider, Rachel King on Insanity in the next race, the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge, a performance which was to earn her the Dubai Duty Free Ride of the Day. Rachel King was riding for trainer Alan King and though they are not related she took her early experience of riding for Alan to Australia where her career has blossomed.