Following a break of 20 years, Ryan Moore returned to the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup with a vengeance as he spearheaded a decisive Great Britain & Ireland success in the premier jockeys’ competition.
Moore had been leading rider when guiding the same team to glory on his debut in the 2006 edition, and the three-time UK champion jockey again received the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle trophy with 47 points.
After coming home seventh in the opening Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash, Moore finished in the first three on his four subsequent rides, winning the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge on Asgard’s Captain and the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Classic on Archers Bay.
Moore said: “It has been lovely. I’ve enjoyed it. It’s nice to be back here seeing jockeys like Yutaka [Take] and Christophe [Lemaire] – older jockeys who I was looking up to as a kid. Hopefully everyone has enjoyed it.”
Team captain Saffie Osborne was also on the scoresheet, taking the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint on Red Spells Danger, with Dylan Browne McMonagle making the frame on four of his mounts as Great Britain & Ireland ended the day on 81 points.
Osborne said: “It has been really good fun. As I said before, it’s a brilliant day to get new people involved in the sport and showcase what fun this industry is. It’s brilliant for a younger audience to be able to pick a team and follow them, and to have such world class jockeys here is brilliant.
“I have been very lucky to ride in plenty of different places around the world. I feel very lucky every day to share the weighing room with world class jockeys and, at my age, to be learning so much off of them. Today allows me to learn off different jockeys as well.”
Competition debutants Team Hong Kong stormed into an early lead when Jerry Chau and Vincent Ho registered a 1-2 in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash before Luke Ferraris scored 35 minutes later in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers.
Ultimately, their challenge fell short and they ended the day on 62 points alongside Europe, who enjoyed a strong end to the card as Frida Valle Skar and Christophe Lemaire finished first and second in the closing Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Mile.
Ferraris took the Dubai Duty Free Ride Of The Day Award for his win on Dancing In Paris in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers.
He said: “I am pleased with that, although I don’t think I can take too much credit for it as Ian Williams produced the horse in such great order.
“The whole experience has been very good. We started off really well and, although we couldn’t keep it up to the end, I am thrilled to have ridden a winner. I think we have done Hong Kong proud. I’ll be back hopefully.”
Jerry Chau was in contention for the leading jockey until the final race. He said of his first experience of the Shergar Cup: “The day has gone better than I expected. To win the first race – which I did not expect – was great and showed me everything. A first ride and first winner at Ascot was a great experience for me.
“It is totally different riding here from other tracks I have ridden on. It is funny not to be riding around a circle – you go around a bend, then along a straight, then around another bend. It took me time to learn about it.
“It is a very big stand and the people were excited – every jockey would enjoy riding here in front of the public. I really want to come back next year and would definitely love to ride at Royal Ascot.”
The Rest of the World team, made up of Yutaka Take, Suraj Narredu and Jamie Melham, finished fourth on 39 points.
Narredu said: “It has been a great day to be part of, even though I did not ride a winner. It is an honour and a privilege to be part of the Shergar Cup. There are 12 jockeys and only six races, so it happens that you can miss out, but I would love to come back again.
“It has always been on my mind to ride at Royal Ascot, but to do that I would probably have to come a little earlier and base myself with a trainer.”