Our columnist looks back on the Shergar Cup at Ascot and ahead to this weekend's feature action at Newbury.
How much did you enjoy the Shergar Cup last weekend?
I really enjoyed the day. I was lucky enough to be working with a top team so the day was great fun, and I also got the opportunity to interview some new faces from the visiting international superstar jockeys contingent, including Vincent Ho who was captain of the newly introduced Team Hong Kong and Christophe Lemaire who led Team Europe, and who gives off superstar vibes, in a good way!
The competition was fierce as you would expect and the return of Ryan Moore after a 20-year hiatus added some real quality to the line up of riders. He was a member of the GB & Ireland Team captained by the charismatic Saffie Osborne and along with Irish Champion jockey Dylan Browne McMonagle, they won the event overall with Ryan Moore winning the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle for the leading rider for the second time, on just his second appearance in the competition.
A story that for me epitomises the whole day comes from within Sky Sports Racing. Our live producer on Saturday told me that the Shergar Cup was the first horseracing event he ever attended, 23 years ago. He wasn’t interested in the sport at the time, but the whole day gave him the bug and here he is now, 23 years later, working as a producer at Sky. There must be many stories of this day attracting new fans to the sport and it certainly did that for him all those years ago.
Who were your stand-out stars at Ascot?
I made the classic mistake on the day of jumping ship from a horse that I have followed blindly for almost 18 months.
I’m a real fan of Tuco Salamanca as he’s the type of horse with the ability to win decent races in an exciting fashion. He cut his teeth on the all-weather last spring and was unlucky not to win the 3yo Championship on All Weather Finals Day in April 2025.
His loyal supporters have had quite the ride since, but he’s popped up a few times, including twice in the Racing League arena over six and seven furlongs. So, when he was down to run in the opening Shergar Cup Dash, his first go over five-furlongs, I looked elsewhere and guess what, he won! So, this is a long winded way of saying his owners now have more options open to them as he acts from 5 to 7 furlongs, and it doesn’t look like he’s done with yet.
From a riding perspective I think the day itself was the star. The standard had noticeably been upped, and it was wonderful to see some excellent racing that was enjoyed by pretty much everyone that took part. For Jerry Chau to ride a winner on his first experience in the UK (on Tuco Salamanca) having grown up watching YouTube videos of his idol Ryan Moore, was heartwarming as was Frida Valle Skar’s win in the last race on her first rides in the UK. She’s a name we see on Sky Sports Racing on a regular basis, but this would be one of her highest profile winners and she was understandably elated.
Saffie Osborne is great fun on these days and really injects her personality into it and it feels like she has been passed the baton from now retired Hayley Turner. Personality aside, she is riding Ascot skilfully this season and bagged a nice winner on Red Spells Danger for Tim Easterby in the Sprint.
Cracking two-days ahead at Newbury – what are your early thoughts on the Hungerford?
Yes, I’m looking forward to my two-day trip to Newbury. Like Ascot, you never have a bad day’s sport at Newbury.
The Visit Malta Hungerford Stakes is a seven-furlong Group Two for three-year-olds and upwards and it’s been won by some smashing horses in its (fairly) recent history. I remember that’s year’s 1000 Guineas winner Harayir beating the males when she won in 1995 (my first job was at Shadwell Stud in Norfolk so anything in the famous blue and white silks captured my attention), and subsequently the likes of Excelebration and Dream Of Dreams were also amongst winners that I enjoyed.
As for this year Sky Bet currently have Never So Brave as their 11/4 favourite ahead of Coppull at 7/2. It has been known in the past for me to get last year’s winner More Thunder, and this year’s favourite Never So Brave mixed up.
Both are five-year-olds formerly trained by Sir Michael Stoute and owned by Saeed Suhail. On Sir Michael’s retirement though they went their separate ways with William Haggas taking charge of More Thunder and Andrew Balding training Never So Brave.
The former started life being campaigned over a mile and a quarter and has seemingly got speedier as he’s progressed up the grades, whereas this year’s favourite has done most of his racing over 7-furlongs to a mile. Last year’s winner was rated 103 when he contested the Hungerford, whereas this year’s favourite is rated 11lbs superior thanks to wins in the Summer Mile and Sky Bet City Of York last season. Have I managed to confuse you yet?
Let’s stop this nonsense now and focus on Never So Brave. David Probert is jocked up on him as Oisin Murphy is suspended on Saturday. The horse is also entered in the York group 1 he won last year. The cards haven’t fallen right for him since the York win, and he was out of his pay grade in the Sussex last time out. Conditions suit and Probert won in him in the Summer Mile.
As a three year old Coppull gets 6lbs weight for age and he’s trying something new over seven-furlongs for the first time. Clive Cox won this with three-year-old Lethal Force.
Third favourite Symbol of Honour has run over seven but has so far proved best at six.
William Haggas won this with a three-year-old too when Adaay won in 2015 and he has Extremely Zain representing that age group here. The horse lost his unbeaten record when beaten favourite in the International at Ascot and needs to put that handicap defeat behind him here. He was always considered group class though.
Excelebration won for Marco Botti and the trainer has Prince Of India in this time. He ran in the July Cup last time out, but his last win came a year ago in the Shergar Cup Sprint.
Witness Stand was runner up last year and he’s back at a track that suits well. I’m not nailing my colours to the mast yet until I’ve had a through look through the form when declarations have been made on Thursday, but it is an intriguing race.
Any other horses that catch your eye across the two days?
Galiyan holds a Betfred St Leger entry and is unexposed and improving for Andrew Balding if he goes in the Highclere Thoroughbred Racing Geoffrey Freer Stakes. Balding won with a three-year-old last year in the shape of Further who went on to run at Doncaster.
St Anton is entered in the seven furlong handicap at 14:35 for Richard Hannon and he’s been one of my horses to follow this season and has won three races to date.
Let’s see who is declared to run but there are some lovely horses in prospect on show.
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