Sporting Life
Hayley Turner: All-time leading rider at the Shergar Cup
Hayley Turner: All-time leading rider at the Shergar Cup

Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup 2023: Meet the jockeys set to star at Ascot on Saturday

By Sporting Life
Horse Racing
Sat August 12, 2023 · 2y ago

Profiles of the 12 jockeys that make up the star studded line-up for the 2023 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot on Saturday.

GB & Ireland

LUKE MORRIS (C) Age: 34

  • Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup debut.
  • Made international headlines after riding Alpinista to victory in Europe’s most prestigious race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, at Longchamp in October.
  • Has ridden more than 100 winners in each calendar year since 2011, with his best of 189 coming in 2014 and 2015.
  • Celebrated his 2,000th British winner at Southwell in January, having recorded his first career winner at the track in November 2005.
  • Champion all-weather jockey in 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2017/18.
  • One Royal Ascot winner.
Luke Morris celebrates on Alpinista

DECLAN McDONOGH Age: 43

  • Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup record: Appearances: 1; Wins: 0; Points; 13
  • Ireland’s champion jockey in 2006 with 87 winners.
  • Notched his Irish 1,000th success at Navan in May 2019.
  • Son of Des McDonogh, who trained Monksfield to win back-to-back Champion Hurdles 1978 and 1979.
  • Tasted Royal Ascot success on Elhamri in the 2006 Windsor Castle Stakes.

TOM MARQUAND Age: 25

  • Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup debut.
  • Has ridden G1 winners in Britain, France, Ireland and Australia.
  • Registered first Classic victory aboard Galileo Chrome in the 2020 St Leger.
  • Champion apprentice in 2015 with 54 winners.
  • Tied second with wife Hollie Doyle in last season’s jockeys’ championship, his third top three finish in as many years.
  • Five Royal Ascot winners, including on Desert Hero for Their Majesties The King & Queen in this year’s King George V Handicap

Europe

FRANKIE DETTORI (C) Age: 52

  • Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup record: Appearances: 11; Wins: 2; Points: 170
  • Champion jockey in Britain in 1994, 1995 and 2004.
  • Transcended the sport on September 28, 1996, when he rode all seven winners at Ascot at odds of 25,051/1.
  • Has enjoyed big-race winners across Europe and beyond, including Australia, the Far East, North America, and the Middle East.
  • Reached the milestone of 3,000 British winners in August 2016.
  • Has ridden 23 British Classic winners, including Derby victors Authorized and Golden Horn.
  • Most successful current jockey at Royal Ascot with 81 wins.
Frankie Dettori

BAUYRZHAN MURZABAYEV Age: 30

  • Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup debut.
  • Champion jockey in Germany in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
  • Rode in long-distance races in his native Kazakhstan from the age of seven and conventional races at Almaty Racecourse from 14.
  • Moved to the Czech Republic, where he became champion jockey in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
  • Gained his first G1 on Sammarco in the 2022 German Derby.
  • Enjoyed a successful stint in Japan last winter, headlined by a shock success on 90/1 outsider Dura Erede in the G1 Hopeful Stakes.

OLIVIER PESLIER Age: 50

  • Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup record: Appearances: 4; Wins: 2; Points: 88
  • Champion jockey in France in 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2000.
  • Renowned international rider who has won major races across Europe, North America, the Middle East and Far East.
  • Most famous for his association with star filly Goldikova, on whom he won 17 times, including 14 G1s.
  • Two British Classic victories, including the 1998 Derby on High-Rise.
  • 15 Royal Ascot winners.

Ladies

HAYLEY TURNER (C) Age: 40

  • Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup record: Appearances: 15; Wins: 9; Points: 322
  • The all-time leading rider at the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup. Won the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle in 2018 and 2019.
  • Shared Britain’s Champion Apprentice title with Saleem Golam in 2005.
  • In 2008, she became the first woman to ride 100 British winners in a calendar year.
  • The first female rider to win a domestic G1 outright on Dream Ahead in the 2011 July Cup, one of three G1 wins for the jockey.
  • Registered the first of four Royal Ascot victories on Thanks Be in the 2019 Sandringham Handicap.
Ladies' team captain Hayley Turner collecting the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup

HOLLIE DOYLE Age: 26

  • Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup record: Appearances: 2; Wins: 1; Points: 32
  • Set a new record for most wins (172) by a female jockey in a British calendar year in 2021, eclipsing her previous records in 2019 (116) and 2020 (150).
  • Became the first British female jockey to win a Classic when guiding Nashwa to victory in the 2022 Prix de Diane.
  • Almost went through the card with a 899/1 five-timer at Windsor on August 29, 2020, a feat she repeated at Kempton Park the following March.
  • Married to Tom Marquand, who will be riding for GB & Ireland at this year’s Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup.
  • Six Royal Ascot winners, including a three-timer at the meeting this year.

SAFFIE OSBORNE Age: 21

  • Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup debut.
  • Crowned Racing League’s leading rider in 2022 thanks to a sensational 6,538.5/1 treble on the closing night.
  • Enjoyed her first domestic Group-race victory aboard the Ed Walker-trained Random Harvest in the G3 Valiant Stakes at Ascot last month.
  • Daughter of former jockey and Lambourn trainer Jamie Osborne.

Rest of the World

JOAO MOREIRA (C) Age: 39

  • Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup record: Appearances: 2; Wins: 3; Points: 66
  • Brazilian-born rider who has earned the nickname “Magic Man”.
  • A graduate of the Sao Paulo apprentice academy, he rode more than 1,000 winners in Brazil and twice won the country’s coveted Eclipse Award for top jockey.
  • Moved to Singapore in 2009 and won four consecutive champion jockey titles, including riding all eight winners on a Kranji card.
  • Alongside three Hong Kong jockey championships (2014/15, 2015/16, 2016/17), set the record for the most winners in a season (170 – 2016/17), the fastest century of winners in a season (2016/17) and the most winners on a Hong Kong raceday (eight - March 5, 2017).
Top jockey Joao Moreira

MATTHEW CHADWICK Age: 33

  • Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup record: Appearances: 1; Wins: 1; Points: 45
  • Impressed as his Rest of The World team won the 2012 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup, riding a winner and three seconds to claim the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle.
  • Hong Kong’s champion apprentice in 2008/09, where he has since ridden over 500 winners.
  • Best known for his association with California Memory, whom he rode to victory in back-to-back editions of the G1 Hong Kong Cup in 2011 and 2012.
  • Graduate of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Apprentice Jockeys’ School, he completed his apprenticeship in Australia, which included a four-timer at Lismore Racecourse.

KAZUO YOKOYAMA Age: 30

  • Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup debut.
  • Gained a breakthrough G1 success on Titleholder in the 2022 Tenno Sho (Spring), a horse he would later ride to finish 11th in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
  • From a family steeped in racing – grandfather Tomio and father Norihiro (also a Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup jockey in 2001) were G1-winning jockeys, as is his younger brother Takeshi, who rode at last year’s Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup.

HOW THE DUBAI DUTY FREE SHERGAR CUP WORKS

4 TEAMS: The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup is the world’s premier jockeys’ competition where three riders in each of four teams - Great Britain & Ireland, Rest of the World, Ladies and Europe - battle against each other.

6 RACES: All races offer free entry and are limited to 10 runners, with two or three jockeys from each team. Subject to full fields, each jockey has five rides across the afternoon. This is to ensure that in the event of an injury, there is a spare jockey on each team who can assume mounts. There are two reserves for each race, which can be substituted for non-runners up until 45 minutes before the advertised race time.

15 - 10 - 7 - 5 - 3 POINTS: Points are awarded on a 15, 10, 7, 5, 3 basis to the first five horses home. If there is a non-runner which cannot be replaced by a reserve, 4 points will be awarded both to the team and jockey missing out on the ride. If a dead-heat occurs in a race, the points for the two places are added together, divided by two and shared between the two jockeys/teams.

HIGHEST TOTAL WINS: The team with the highest total after race six lifts the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup, while the jockey amassing the most individual points will take home an additional £3,000 plus the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle trophy. One jockey will receive the Dubai Duty Free Ride Of The Day Award. If there is a tie for the Team or Silver Saddle competitions, there will be a countback on the number of winners and the team/jockey with the most winners will be adjudged the winner overall; if they are still level, then second places will be counted, then if necessary third places and then if necessary fourth places. If they are still level, there will be joint winners.

STABLES BONUS PRIZES: £25,000 worth of bonus prizes will be awarded for the leading stables based on points accrued in the competition, split as follows: 1st - £10,000 to trainer/£2,500 to stable staff 2nd - £7,500 to trainer/£1,500 to stable staff 3rd - £2,500 to trainer/£1,000 to stable staff

HISTORY: This is the 22nd edition Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot. The event was first staged at Ascot in 2000.

DUBAI DUTY FREE: Dubai Duty Free has been associated with the Shergar Cup since its inception, initially as sponsor of the Rest of the World team and as a race sponsor. In 2006, the company became title sponsor for the first time and, since 2014, has sponsored the entire event.

RACE PROGRAMME

1.35pm Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash (86-105) 3yo+ 5f

2.10pm Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers (81-100) 4yo+ 1m 7f 209y

2.45pm Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge (76-95) 4yo+ 1m 3f 211y

3.20pm Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Mile (81-100) 4yo+ 7f 213y

3.55pm Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Classic (76-95) 3yo 1m 3f 211y

4.30pm Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint (81-100) 3yo 6f

*All the action will be broadcast live on ITV4 and Sky Sports Racing

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