Check out Alex's Shergar Cup preview

Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup preview: Alex Hammond tips

By Alex Hammond

Horse Racing

Sat August 12, 2023 · 2y ago

Check out our columnist's thoughts and best bets ahead of the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup.

There’s plenty of team spirit going around at the moment with the Racing League in full flow, and the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup jamboree taking place at Ascot on Saturday.

You all know how it works by now, a collection of world class jockeys, drawn to ride some tidy handicappers for decent prize money. The jeopardy comes with the fact that some of those jockeys have been taken out of their comfort zone and are either brand new to British racing or have very little experience of it.

They are balloted to ride five horses each across the six races, so some have longer straws than others, although it is supposed to work out evenly across their book of rides.

"She's a terrible price" | Curragh, Newmarket and Shergar Cup tips & best bets

Leaving the team aspect aside, let’s try and find some winners across this uber competitive card.

The first race is over the straight five-furlongs and Tis Marvellous knows this track better than most.

At the age of nine he isn’t getting any faster and it would be some achievement if trainer Clive Cox were to get him to win this race for the third time to go with his victories in 2018 and 2021.

Luke Morris has been drawn to ride the old boy and this is good news for his supporters as the Arc winning jockey has a good record for Cox. He rode this horse at Ascot six years ago, but that will be a distant memory now. He’s 5/1 with Sky Bet and I’m happy to side with him in the opener.

Jessica Harrington is supporting the meeting with two runners and I hope she heads back to Ireland with one winner.

The Very Man has the advantage of Hollie Doyle on board in race two, and a reproduction of his recent Galway second puts him right in the mix. He’s another old boy at the age of nine but retains plenty of enthusiasm and ability. He’s 9/2 second favourite behind Chester Cup runner-up Zoffee who has Frankie up and is 3/1 to win the Stayers Handicap.

Saffie Osborne has set the Racing League alight once again and away from that fixture she is showing how much she continues to improve with other prestigious wins this season.

She’s been drawn to ride Scampi for Andrew Balding in the Challenge Handicap at 2.45pm and I think she can shine once again. This will be just her third ride for the trainer but hopefully she can impress him here on a horse that I feel will enjoy the step back up to a mile-and-a-half. He’s a 9/2 shot.

Whether I live to regret abandoning Pride Of Priory after his run in the Ripon Bell-Ringer last time out remains to be seen. I really fancied him that day and he’s back at the Shergar Cup having won this race 12 months ago. He’s back to that winning handicap mark and has Frankie Dettori to ride, which will make him very popular. He’s 7/2 second favourite at the time of writing.

Turner can seal Mile prize

It’s looking good for the Ladies team if my selections are anything to go by because I’m with the Hayley Turner-ridden Positive Impact in the Shergar Cup Mile at 3.20pm.

Simon and Ed Crisford train the horse who returns from a break having not been seen since running in Meydan in February. He had some good, placed form last summer though and I hope his in-form team have him primed and ready after that break. At 15/2 he appeals most.

I promise you I haven’t set out to pick so many of the runners from Team Ladies, but that is the case in the Shergar Cup Classic too.

I have a caveat here. If the ground remains soft, I’ll be with Like A Tiger (Saffie Osborne) but if it dries out considerably, I’ll switch to Rajasthan (Hayley Turner).

The former was a one-time Derby contender for James Ferguson, who holds this horse in some regard, but he is very ground dependant. He’s 6/1 with Sky Bet. Rajasthan, like that horse, could be a potential pattern performer. He makes his handicap debut in this mile-and-a-half contest and his handicap mark of 87 doesn’t look harsh for his debut in that sphere. He’s 100/30 favourite.

Can Quinault win again?

It's hard to oppose Quinault in the closing Shergar Cup Sprint with him on a six race winning roll. He joined Stuart Williams in the autumn having been picked up for just 25,000 guineas as a Godolphin cast off and he’s done a great job of getting inside this horse’s mind.

He was a runaway when he joined them and would just bolt everywhere, but they have worked out what makes him tick and he’s rewarding his new connections handsomely. Who knows what the ceiling of his ability is, but he probably hasn’t stopped improving yet.

It could be another one for Luke Morris who will also have to get to the bottom of him when he gets the leg up for the first time. If his price of 13/8 favourite doesn’t float your boat, then I also like Dark Trooper who won a Sky Bet Sunday Series race last weekend, and at 8/1 is my each way selection.

You won’t be surprised to learn that the Ladies are 2/1 favourites to finish top, or that Luke Morris is 7/2 favourite to be leading rider and win the Silver Saddle award.

It's set to be a fun afternoon and I’m looking forward to covering all the action with our top team from Sky Sports Racing.

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