Joanna Mason got the Ladies off to a perfect start on Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup day, when she steered home 5/2 joint favourite Amanzoe in the opening Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Curtain Raiser Classified Stakes over 10 furlongs.
Mason, making her Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup debut, always looked comfortable on the in-form Amanzoe, who picked up powerfully once in the clear to score by a length and earn the Ladies 15 points.
The Kieran Shoemark-ridden HMS President (12/1) finished off strongly to earn 10pts for Great Britain & Ireland, while Carolus Magnus (12/1) got the Rest of the World off the mark in third under Jason Collett.
After race one, the Ladies lead the way with 20pts, with Rest of the World and Great Britain & Ireland tied for second on 10pts. Team Europe are yet to get off the mark.
Mason said: “Amanzoe is a very nice filly – it makes the job a lot easier, doesn’t it? She was brilliant and gave me a great feel. I was coming down here just hoping I could do everything right and do the girls proud; so we’ve started the first leg well and hopefully we can continue.”
On the opportunity given to Joanna Mason, winning trainer William Haggas said: “That is one of the reasons I think this event is so successful. It gives everyone a chance, plus you get to meet a few foreign jockeys. Kerrin McEvoy, who I haven’t got today, rode us a winner in Sydney last year. It is a real global event and it’s terrific that the girls have had a good start. Jo proved that, given the right ammunition, she’s just as good as anyone else.”
Asked about Amanzoe’s future after her fourth win in five starts, he added: “I don’t know, stakes races now I suppose. She won off 90 today and will go up a bit more to 94/95. She likes fast ground. She hit a flat spot at Sandown when the ground was a bit slower there. She has small feet and she flies off this ground, so we are very pleased.”
Kieran Shoemark said of the runner-up: “HMS President travelled really nicely into it, but just got the tiniest bump when I turned in and went from travelling to losing a lot of momentum. I don’t think we would have beaten the winner, and he has run well.”
Carolus Magnus’ rider Jason Collett said: “He has walked out the barriers [stalls] for two starts now, which has been costing him. He was good to the line, and I don’t think distance is an issue going forward. It is great to be here and a placed result is a good start.”
Nicola Currie said of Pistoletto: “He ran a blinder. He is a hold up horse and is a horse you can’t hit either, so we were just praying for a good gallop, which we got. He needs to come through horses. We got a bit wide, so we might have been third, but we wouldn’t have been any closer. We’ve got some points on the board, which is important.”