Rest of the World flew out of the blocks on Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup day as Vintage Clarets (5/1), ridden by Australian ace Hugh Bowmnan, proved a cut above his rivals in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash.
Always travelling smoothly in behind the pace, the Richard Fahey-trained six-year-old found a nice change of gear to clear away and score by a length.
Vespasian (16/1), partnered by Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup debutant Ryusei Sakai, stayed on well to finish second for Asia. Rest of the World picked up more points thanks to 9/2 favourite Venture Capital’s third under Karis Teetan.
It is the third year running that the opening race at the Shergar Cup has gone the way of the Rest of the World, and also a third Shergar Cup winner for Bowman, who is best known for his association with champion racemare Winx.
Bowman said: “It is great to be back. I am very appreciative of the opportunity to ride here this year, representing the Rest of the World team, and to be back at the Royal Ascot track, it’s hallowed ground, it’s an honour.
“Although it is a bit of a unique atmosphere, we are professionals, so we are out there to do a job, and Vintage Clarets gave me a terrific ride. He was a bit of a handful when I got on him – he is a real character – but once I cantered down to post, he just relaxed beautifully.
“He started to travel a bit better than I would have liked. Then at about the two pole, he said, ‘I’m sick of relaxing, it’s time to go!’ All I had to do was to point him in the right direction and he did the rest.
“The team thought he had used himself a bit much in the early/middle stages last time and faded out, so the plan was to just settle him, which obviously worked. But the horse is full of enthusiasm, you’ve just got to harness that enthusiasm for the final furlong, and he did it well.”
Asked how much experience of riding at Ascot is beneficial, he said: “It certainly helps, because it is a unique track. When you ride here, regardless of the occasion, there’s a sense of pride and a sense of occasion all the time. So it’s a very testing track for horse and rider, and having been here before certainly helps.
“It is nice [to be able to celebrate with the family] because the kids don’t get to go racing much in Hong Kong, under 18s aren’t allowed, so it’s a great opportunity for them and my wife Christine to come along and enjoy the day with me.”
Ryusei Sakai, rider of runner-up Vespasian, said: ‘‘He jumped OK and he travelled well but the winner was very strong.’’
Karis Teetan, rider of third-placed Venture Capital, said: ‘‘It was a nice run from the horse. He cruised up nicely. Coming to the top of the hill past the 350m, I thought he was going to go on from how he was travelling. He couldn’t, but he didn’t stop either. He ran a great race.’’