Great Britain & Ireland produced a superb team performance to take the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup, winning five of the eight races to end the competition with a mammoth 132 points.
Three of the four jockeys on the team recorded victories during the afternoon, with Neil Callan scoring on Orbaan in the Dubai Duty Free Full Of Surprises Classified Stakes and Adaay In Asia in the closing Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint.
Those wins helped Callan secure the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle, presented to the leading jockey at the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup, with 50 points.
Team-mate Jamie Spencer (37 points) enjoyed a double of his own on Themaxwecan in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers and Hamaki in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Classic.
Kieran Shoemark (33 points) was also on the scoresheet for his team as he guided Pride Of Priory to success in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge, with Daniel Tudhope contributing 12 points.
Neil Callan said: “There is nothing to dislike about the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup, it is brilliant. There is great prize money and Ascot make it a family event to come and watch. It is a great day at our premier track and the fields are competitive.
“This is my third time and I have been on the wining team every year, so I am going to have to retire now! And it is great to have my family here.
“I have ridden with a lot of the international jockeys here over the years, all over the world. It is nice to ride against them on a competitive stage.
“The whole concept is great. Look how much coverage there is and people come to watch – it is not just racing people, and betting and punting and all that, it is families here with kids. They are the next generation – this is what we need to be pushing towards.”
Great Britain & Ireland captain Jamie Spencer said: “We drew some decent horses and I had a couple of good chances, although one did not run so well.
“Today we get to see people you don’t see. We call Kerrin McEvoy ‘The Sting’ and it has been so much fun to have The Sting here today, laughing and joking, reminiscing, as we have been hanging out together for the guts of 20 years now. He has been in Melbourne for the last 14 years and Christophe Lemaire is in Japan. We only get to see them once a year.”
The Dubai Duty Free Ride Of The Day Award went to Joanna Mason for her victory on Amanzoe in the opening Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Curtain Raiser Classified Stakes – one of three wins on the day for the Ladies team.
She said: “The whole day has just been amazing and there has been good team morale. It’s an honour to be picked to represent the girls and we have given it our best shot. We thought we would have a really good chance today and we have come second, so everyone has done themselves proud. We have won three races and done well.
“It was an honour to ride for Mr [William] Haggas and a good horse makes it a lot easier. I just had to really steer her to victory, all the hard work has been done at home. It was a thrill to ride a good filly like her.
“I was very apprehensive about this beforehand. I was not sure what to expect but it has been an absolutely brilliant day and I have loved every minute of it. I would love to do it again.
“I have loved the team side of it, too, it adds a different dimension. To get the chance to ride with some famous and well-known jockeys when you never would normally – Emma-Jayne Wilson, who is a sensation in Canada, Kerrin McEvoy, Christophe Lemaire. And to get my first winner at Ascot, on a Saturday – I am loving it!”
Ascot Racecourse awarded £25,000 in bonuses for the three leading stables at this year’s Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup, with the William Haggas yard picking up the £12,5000 first prize thanks to the wins of Amanzoe, Pride Of Priory and Hamaki.
William Haggas said: “The staff deserve every penny, I can tell you. These horses have looked great, they have behaved well and they are focused. Everything has been excellent today and they have run well.”
Nick Smith, Director of Racing and Public Affairs at Ascot Racecourse, said: “It has been another fantastic renewal of the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup. We are so grateful to all the owners who backed the unique format today and to all the jockeys, especially those that came from overseas.
“William Haggas’s yard won first prize of £12,500 in our second stable/stable staff award of the summer after a treble today so congratulations to his team, to the winning home team of jockeys and to Neil Callan, who won the Alistair Haggas Silver Saddle.”
Final Team Standings
GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND 132
LADIES 81
REST OF THE WORLD 72
EUROPE 51
Final Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle Standings:
Neil Callan GBI 50
Jamie Spencer GBI 37
Kieran Shoemark GBI 33
Joanna Mason LADIES 29
Rene Piechulek EUR 23
Frankie Dettori EUR 20
Christophe Lemaire ROW 20
Jason Collett ROW 19
Nicola Currie LADIES 19
Hayley Turner LADIES 18
Kerrin McEvoy ROW 17
Takeshi Yokoyama ROW 16
Emma-Jayne Wilson LADIES 15
Daniel Tudhope GBI 12
Antonio Fresu EUR 4
José-Luis Martinez EUR 4