Team Hong Kong’s Luke Ferraris and Jerry Chau hope to make a splash at their first Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup, with the duo among six overseas jockeys who spoke to the media at Ascot Racecourse yesterday.
Son of former Hong Kong-based trainer David Ferraris, Luke made his name in his native South Africa with back-to-back champion apprentice titles, including winning the nation’s Triple Crown on Malmoos in 2021.
Later that year at the age of 19, he became the second-youngest ex-pat jockey to be awarded a contract to ride in Hong Kong after Michael Walker in 2003.
Ferraris said: “It is my first time racing in the UK after riding mainly in South Africa and Hong Kong. I never miss watching Royal Ascot, and I came last year, so it is really exciting to be riding at Ascot. It is a magnificent track.
“It is a big thrill for us to have Hong Kong’s first team at the Shergar Cup. Hopefully, we can do them proud. There is a pinch of pressure about it, but I am really looking forward to it. My two teammates are really good. Vincent [Ho] loves riding here and Jerry has just had an amazing season in Hong Kong, so I think it will come down to how the races are run, the tempo and so on.
“I have ridden against a lot of the riders at the international meeting in Hong Kong – Hong Kong racing is so international anyway – but there are one or two new names. Yutaka Take is a living legend, and Ryan Moore’s record speaks for itself. Christophe Lemaire has a great CV too.”
Following a successful traineeship in Australia, Chau set the record for the most wins (58) by an apprentice in his first full campaign in Hong Kong and finished fifth in last season’s jockeys’ championship.
The 26-year-old said: “It is my first time at Ascot and my first time in England, so I am really excited.
“Last season in Hong Kong, I was very lucky. I also won a Group race in Korea and it was a big moment for me when I was told I had been invited to ride at the Shergar Cup. It was the highlight of my season.
“My idol is Ryan Moore, so I have always wanted to ride in the UK. I have ridden against him in Hong Kong, but I have not beaten him.
“I did not grow up in a racing family, but my mum and my brother loved following racing. When I was 15, I decided to join the Hong Kong Jockey Club. I had ridden ponies when I was 13, which is when I realised that I really loved it.”
Australia’s Jamie Melham is joined by Japan’s evergreen Yutaka Take and India’s Suraj Narredu for the Rest of The World, with all three riders having previous experience of the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup.
Melham arrives on the back of a banner season in Australia, in which she became the first woman to complete the Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double on Half Yours.
The 30-year-old said: “It is very exciting to be back. It has been a few years since my first time, and a lot has happened to me in the meantime.
“Like a lot of jockeys, I like to tick things off the bucket list. I have not ridden a winner here yet, although I went very close down the straight track when I was here for my first Shergar Cup. Fingers crossed I can do something I have never done before, and that is ride a winner in England. It would be amazing.
“I have had a quick look at my rides and the weights I need to do – and it looks as though I can have a good breakfast on Saturday! The jockey coach, George Baker, reckons Stem in race three might be my best chance, but he thinks my other rides are okay too. One or two, or maybe three, winners would do me. I do not want to be too greedy! I am dying to ride a winner here.
“I know now that there are a lot of things I could have done differently last time. It is definitely a course where you need to not go too soon, while the wind is quite a factor down the straight, so you want cover behind the right horse. You do not want your horse to get interrupted and have to change course, so you need to plan ahead a lot. It is quite deceiving too. There are a lot of dips and rises, which you do not really see in Australia.
“Things have definitely changed for me since my big year last year. I am in the history books now as only the second female to win the Melbourne Cup, but us jockeys are greedy and I want more. I want to win another Melbourne Cup and more feature races.
“The next thing on my bucket list will be to come back and ride at Royal Ascot. I have been here to watch a few times, and it is incredible.”
Following a career spanning five decades, Take is preparing for his ninth Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup and his first since 2018, having made his debut in 2003.
The 57-year-old achieved two further milestones this year – extending his record as the oldest jockey to win a JRA G1 race on Meisho Tabaru in June’s Takarazuka Kinen as well as notching his 5,000th career success at Hakodate on 12th July.
Take said: “I have ridden at the Shergar Cup eight times before and had four winners, but I have not been back for a few years. I was pleased to be asked, though, as it is always interesting to ride here.
“I am in England for just four days, and then next week I go to France, where I have rides, before heading back to Japan.”
Narredu, one of India’s most decorated riders, returns after captaining Asia to a famous success in 2025. The 41-year-old has enjoyed another strong subsequent 12 months, including registering his 2,500th career win in January.
He said: “I rode a winner here at the Shergar Cup on my first visit, and I got a huge reception when I went home. There were people with banners at the airport, and also outside my home, where there were garlands and fireworks.
“All the turf clubs in India felicitated me for riding a winner here, and it was a big deal for them too. They showed my winner on the big screen on a raceday, and it was very special for all of us. So, when I was asked to come back, I did not think twice. You are riding against the best talent in the world, and Ascot is very special for many reasons. It is great to be back.
“I have been here for a week or so, as I wanted to spend some time in Newmarket and get some experience of riding out. For a long time, I have wanted to ride out at John Gosden’s, and I did that one morning. Then yesterday I rode out with Charlie Appleby. I have also had rides at Newmarket and Brighton.
“For me to spend some time over here, ride out with some of the best in the world and learn from them has been amazing. Brighton was an experience too. Something new. I am going to have a small holiday in Edinburgh after the Shergar Cup, and then I head to Japan.”
Frenchman Christophe Lemaire captains Europe following another successful season in Japan, including his 100th career G1 success on Embroidery in the Victoria Mile at Tokyo in May.
Lemaire said: “It is my third time at the Shergar Cup. I have not had a winner yet and it is going to be challenging again, especially against the local riders. I enjoy riding in a team event like this. I am competing this time with two very good female jockeys who have a lot of experience around the world. They are top riders and I have no fears about them adapting to the track.
“At Ascot, the skill of the jockey is especially important. It is a tough course, especially over the last 400 or 500 metres, and the bend is quite sharp. You have to be careful not to go too wide, and also not to get caught on the inside. It is quite challenging, but I am looking forward to it, of course. It is a very iconic racecourse, where a lot of champions have shown their potential.”
Vincent Ho spoke to the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s media team as he prepares to captain Team Hong Kong.
Ho said: “I’m looking forward to it. It’s the first time for Hong Kong and it’s huge. For us to be picked by The Hong Kong Jockey Club to represent Hong Kong is something very honourable and we’re really grateful for that.
“We’re all trying to go out there, be focused and really enjoy it – the racecourse, the atmosphere and we’re hoping to get on some good horses. It all depends on the horses now, but, of course, we’re coming up against some really good riders.
“The world’s best jockey is here, Ryan Moore, and we all saw how good Dylan Browne McMonagle was when he came to Hong Kong. Then there’s Christophe Lemaire and Yutaka Take – a Japanese legend. Saffie Osborne is in form and doing well. They are experienced jockeys from around the world.”