Shergar Cup 2022: Jockey profiles, race times and how the Ascot team competition works

How the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup works

4 TEAMS

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

8 RACES

This is the 21st edition Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot, with record prize money of £550,000. 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.

POINTS (15-10-7-5-3)

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 eight 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.

STABLE STAFF BONUS PRIZES

A total of £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

Race times and programme

Time Prize money Name Age Distance

1.00 £50,000 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Curtain Raiser Classified Stakes 3yo+ 1m 1f 212y

1.35 £50,000 Dubai Duty Free Full Of Suprises Classified Stakes 3yo+ 7f

2.10 £75,000 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash 3yo+ 5f

2.45 £75,000 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers 4yo+ 1m 7f 209y

3.20 £75,000 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge 4yo+ 1m 3f 211y

3.55 £75,000 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Mile 4yo+ 7f 213y

4.30 £75,000 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Classic 3yo 1m 3f 211y

5.05 £75,000 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint 3yo 6f

Teams and jockey profiles

GREAT BRITAIN AND IRELAND

JAMIE SPENCER (C)

• Age: 42
• Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup record: Appearances: 6; Wins: 5; Points: 145
• Burst on to the scene as a 17yo by winning the 1998 Irish 1,000 Guineas on Tarascon.
• Champion jockey in Ireland in 2004.
• Champion jockey in Britain in 2005 and again in 2007, when he shared the title with Seb Sanders.
• 2,000th career winner in Britain came at the 2017 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup aboard Stake Acclaim.
• Has ridden five Classic winners in Ireland and two in Britain, most recently on Phoenix Of Spain in the 2019 Irish 2,000 Guineas.
• 26 Royal Ascot winners.

DANIEL TUDHOPE

• Age: 36
• Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup record: Appearances: 1; Wins: 0; Points: 0
• Runner-up in the 2019 British jockeys’ championship.
• Born in Scotland, he had no racing background and had not considered a career in the sport until it was suggested by a careers advisor.
• First winner came at Pisa, Italy, in October 2003.
• Enjoyed first G1 triumph aboard G Force in the 2014 Haydock Sprint Cup.
• Notched up his 1,000th British career success at Thirsk in June 2019.
• 10 Royal Ascot winners, including four apiece in 2019 and 2022.

NEIL CALLAN

• Age: 44
• Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup record: Appearances: 2; Wins: 1; Points: 46
• Irish-born rider who was Britain’s champion apprentice in 1999.
• Runner-up in the British jockeys’ championship in 2005 and 2007.
• Enjoyed first G1 winner on Amadeus Wolf in the 2005 Middle Park Stakes.
• Rode full-time in Hong Kong for seven years from 2014, racking up 282 winners and more than £30m in prize money.
• Fifth Royal Ascot winner and first since 2013 came on Rising Star in this year’s Kensington Palace Handicap.

KIERAN SHOEMARK

• Age: 26
• Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup debut.
• Celebrated first G1 winner on Lady Bowthorpe in the 2021 Nassau Stakes.
• Has spoken candidly about addiction after being banned for six months in November 2018 following a positive test for cocaine.
• Tasted Royal Ascot success on Atty Perse in the 2017 King George V Handicap.
• Part of a titanic tussle with David Egan for the 2017 apprentice championship, ultimately going down by one winner.
• Grandfather, father and brother were all Jump jockeys.

EUROPE

FRANKIE DETTORI (C)

• Age: 51
• Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup record: Appearances: 10; Wins: 2; Points: 150
• 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 21 British Classic winners, including Derby victors Authorized and Golden Horn.
• Most successful current jockey at Royal Ascot with 77 wins.

RENE PIECHULEK

• Age: 35
• Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup debut.
• Sprang to prominence last autumn when winning Europe’s most prestigious race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, aboard 72/1 outsider Torquator Tasso.
• Started apprenticeship with no previous experience of racehorses, aged 16, and turned professional in 2007.
• Rode the John Hills-trained Rotation to victory in the 2007 Dutch St Leger.
• Registered first G1 win on Sunny Queen in the 2020 Grosser Preis Von Bayern, in which Torquator Tasso finished second.

ANTONIO FRESU

• Age: 30
• Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup debut.
• Italy’s champion apprentice in 2013, also finishing second overall in the jockeys’ championship that year.
• Moved to England in 2014, where he rode 17 winners over three seasons.
• Big break came in late 2016 when leading Dubai-based trainer Erwan Charpy asked him to ride for the stable.
• Has since established himself as one of the top riders in the UAE, finishing second to Tadgh O’Shea in the last two championships.
• Enjoyed first G1 triumph aboard Zenden in the 2021 Dubai Golden Shaheen on Dubai World Cup Night.

JOSE-LUIS MARTINEZ

• Age: 51
• Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup debut.
• Nine-time champion jockey in Spain.
• Started riding professionally in 1986.
• Closing in on 1,200 career wins, spread across Spain, Italy, France, Dubai, Morocco, Germany and Denmark.
• Has won 12 Spanish Classics, including the Triple Crown in 1995 and 2014.
• Two-time winner of Spain’s most prestigious race, the San Sebastian Gold Cup, most recently on the Ed Dunlop-trained Amazing Red in 2019.
• Enjoyed his first G2 success on Rodaballo in Germany’s Oettingen Rennen last September.

LADIES

HAYLEY TURNER (C)

• Age: 39
• Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup record: Appearances: 14; Wins: 8; Points: 304
• 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 at Newmarket, one of three G1 wins for the jockey.
• Registered the first of three Royal Ascot victories on Thanks Be in the 2019 Sandringham Handicap, making her just the second woman to ride a winner at the Royal Meeting after Gay Kelleway in 1987.

JOANNA MASON

• Age: 32
• Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup debut.
• Competed successfully as an amateur for 14 years before riding her first winner as a professional at Newcastle on December 31, 2020.
• Rode out her claim in May this year at Catterick and reached the milestone of 100 career winners the following month at Redcar.
• Shared the Amateur Lady Jockeys’ Flat Championship with Serena Brotherton in 2015 and 2017.
• Granddaughter of Classic-winning trainer Mick Easterby.
• Has a Masters degree in sports nutrition.

NICOLA CURRIE

• Age: 29
• Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup record: Appearances: 1; Wins: 2; Points: 47
• Clinched the Alistair Haggis “Silver Saddle” on her Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup debut in 2021 with two winners and a third.
• Entered the racing industry at 19 with a background in show jumping, initially working in her native Scotland for Jump trainer Lucinda Russell, before moving to Lambourn to pursue a career on the Flat.
• Lifted the 2018/19 All-Weather Champion Apprentice title with 30 winners.
• Biggest wins to date have come at Ascot, taking valuable heritage handicaps on Raising Sand in 2018 and 2019.

EMMA-JAYNE WILSON

• Age: 40
• Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup record: Appearances: 6; Wins: 3; Points: 115
• The winning-most female jockey of all time in Canada, with more than 1,700 career wins.
• Burst onto the scene as an apprentice in 2005 when landing the riding title at Woodbine. At its 167-day meet, she partnered 175 winners, becoming the first female to take the title in the racecourse’s 50-year history.
• Won both the Sovereign Award and Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey in 2005.
• First G1 success came aboard Mike Fox in Canada’s oldest race, the Queen’s Plate, in June 2007.

What they say: "I was supposed to come back for the Shergar Cup in 2020 but obviously the pandemic shut everything down. I think it must be five years since I last rode here, so it feels great to be back.

“I love this event and the novelty of it all. The international element is amazing and it is something you don’t find unless you are in a competition like this. The team aspect creates a special camaraderie.”

Asked about the achievements of Rachael Blackmore and Hollie Doyle since her last appearance at Ascot, Wilson said: “I have been following Rachael closely. Being a trailblazer means you are the first, and that is what she is. And the same can be said about Hollie [Doyle] on the Flat. What I have liked is the shift in conversation, moving away from talking about gender. People just see them as very good jockeys. That is a testament to the firsts that we have all achieved, whether it be Hayley [Turner], myself, Rachael and now Hollie. Twenty years from now, will people even talk about gender when women are winning big races? I suspect not but there are still a lot of firsts out there that need to be done.

“I am still motivated by riding good horses. That is what it boils down to. You can ride countless races through the year, but when you come across a real good horse, that is what it’s all about. It is not just about the talent of these horses but the mental capacity too. The really good ones know what they are doing and you are able to form a special connection with them.”

THE REST OF THE WORLD

CHRISTOPHE LEMAIRE (C)

• Age: 43
• Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup record: Appearances: 1; Wins: 0; Points: 20
• Champion jockey in Japan for the last five years, becoming the first foreign rider to take the title in 2017.
• Ended calendar year 2018 with 215 Japanese wins, bettering Yutaka Take’s record of 212.
• Dual Classic winner in Britain, winning the 2008 1,000 Guineas on Natagora and the 2010 2,000 Guineas on Makfi.
• International wins include Dunaden in the 2011 Melbourne Cup as well as G1 success in Dubai, Hong Kong and the USA.
• Two Royal Ascot winners, notably Chineur in the 2005 King’s Stand Stakes.

What they say: "I think it has been 10 years since I last had a ride at Ascot. I have had a month off and there is no better place to get back in the saddle than here. Every time you race here, there is an excitement because you know it is an important occasion – you are competing against the best horses and the best jockeys in front of a great atmosphere.

“I am really looking forward to the Shergar Cup. We have a strong team made up of experience, with myself and Kerrin, and then the two young guns in Jason and Takeshi. I think it will be a nice combination as we try to win the title, and Kerrin’s experience will be very important. He is a top-class jockey and has enjoyed a lot of success in England.”

Having won multiple Group One races across Europe, Lemaire moved to Japan full-time in 2014 and won the first of five successive jockeys’ championships in 2017, making him the first foreign rider to take the title.

He explained: “I had a chance to ride for the biggest owners in France. I had contracts for the Niarchos Family, Gerard Augustin-Normand and H H the Aga Khan. I worked very hard for those chances and I was lucky enough to win big races for all of them, but then my career had to rebound and I needed a new challenge.

“I had the opportunity to move to Japan on a full-time licence and I grabbed it. It has been eight years now and I am very happy with my life in Japan. I have been champion jockey for the last five years and I guess I will be in the history books as the first foreign rider to win the championship, but I will only look back once I have retired. For now, I am looking towards the next goal, which is to have a big autumn season in Japan and potentially come back here for the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.”

TAKESHI YOKOYAMA

• Age: 23
• Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup debut.
• Japanese rider whose career took off in 2021 with five G1 victories, including on Efforia in the Japanese 2,000 Guineas and Titleholder in the Japanese St Leger.
• Ended the year in style when guiding Efforia to victory in Japan’s premier weight-for-age race, the Arima Kinen, at Nakayama on Boxing Day.
• From a family steeped in racing – grandfather Tomio and father Norihiro were G1-winning jockeys, as is his older brother Kazuo.
• Registered 13 wins in his debut season in 2017 and achieved his first century in 2021 with 104 successes.

What they say: "This is my first time at Ascot and my first time in the UK. I am really excited to be here and am appreciative of the invitation. Riding in the Shergar Cup will be a new experience for me. It is a big honour to represent Japan and hopefully I can learn a lot.

“There are a lot of jockeys in my family and I never really thought of being anything else. I started riding horses when I was 12 and have been riding competitively since I was 18. I am not satisfied with where I am yet. I want to keep riding winners and keep progressing.

“I have always said the Japanese Derby is the race I would most like to win but, since coming to the UK, I would like to win your Derby.”

KERRIN MCEVOY

• Age: 41
• Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup record: Appearances: 2; Wins: 1; Points: 57
• Still an apprentice when becoming the second youngest jockey to win the Melbourne Cup on Brew in 2000, a race he won again on Almandin in 2016 and Cross Counter in 2018.
• Has since ridden over 2,000 winners in Australia and registered his 80th Australian G1 victory aboard Huetor in May this year.
• Rode 10 G1 winners in Europe during five-year stint as Godolphin’s number two rider, including Rule Of Law in the 2004 St Leger.
• Three Royal Ascot winners, headed by Shamardal in the 2005 St James’s Palace Stakes.

What they say: “It is exciting to be back. I haven’t ridden here since 2019, when I did a little stint while William [Buick] was injured. This is a great part of the world to visit, let alone ride horses.

“The Shergar Cup is always a fun event. I am pleased that Frankie [Dettori] is involved, as he was a great ally of mine earlier in my career, and I am good mates with [Jamie] Spencer as well. I have ridden against Christophe a little bit and then Jason is a close colleague of mine back in Australia. I think we have a strong team.

“Things have been going well back home, although there is always plenty of young talent coming through, and Jason is one of them. He is in stellar form, career-best form in fact, and having those guys around keeps you on your toes. The fire is still burning and having those big winners is what keeps you motivated. It is all about putting in the hard yards to try and find these up-and-coming stars.

“Australian racing is going from strength to strength. We have seen huge increases in prize money in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, which is driving competition. And this at all levels, not just the top. For example, recently we were at Wyong, which is a provincial track an hour and a half north of Sydney, and maidens were running around for 40,000 Aussie dollars. It is remarkable.”

JASON COLLETT

• Age: 31
• Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup debut.
• Coming off his best season in Australia with 122 winners, including three G1 victories.
• Started career in New Zealand before moving to Australia in 2011 to ride as an apprentice for compatriot Chris Waller.
• Enjoyed first G1 victory on the Waller-trained Invicibella in the 2019 Tattersall’s Tiara at Eagle Farm.
• Rode outstanding racemare Winx five times early in her career, including wins at Warwick Farm and Rosehill.
• Son of trainer Richard Collett. Partner Clare Cunningham also trains.

What they say: "This is my first time at Ascot and, I have to say, it is something else with the grandstand and everything. This place obviously has a bit of history, so it is pretty awesome to be here.

“The Shergar Cup is something different and I like the look of our team. I know Kerrin McEvoy very well from back in Australia, and then Christophe and Takeshi are coming off great seasons in Japan as well. Hopefully, we pick up some good rides.

“My career has been a slow, gradual progression. I have been in Sydney for nine or 10 years now, but the last two or three years have moved my career on an upward spiral. That is what I am after and hopefully it can keep evolving. I am always trying to improve and the quality of horses I am riding has steadily improved as well. It has been a natural progression.”

Through his association with trainer Chris Waller, Collett rode Winx five times early in her career, including wins at Warwick Farm and Rosehill.

He said: “I rode Winx for her first couple of wins, but she was a different animal then to the one she became. I don’t think I was throwing any superlatives out there when I got off her, other than that ‘that was pretty good!’ I have said it before, but I would have loved to have ridden her again towards the end of her career. The acceleration she had was unbelievable. It was a shame she never came over to Royal Ascot, as I have no doubt that she would have been ultra-competitive. Our sprinters are very strong but to bring a middle-distance horse up here is probably the next step for Australian racing.”

How the horses are allocated

1. In all races, the horses selected to run will be the top 10 in the handicap. Race analyst and broadcaster James Willoughby will rank the horses from 1-10 after declaration.
2. Once the ranking process has been completed, the four team names will go into a ballot. The order in which they are randomly drawn will determine which set of horses is allocated to each team.
3. Using a mathematical model, the International Racing Bureau (IRB) will then allocate jockeys automatically using the rankings. This gives the jockeys and teams an even spread of fancied mounts through the meeting.
4. A second ballot will then take place. The four jockeys representing each team will be drawn at random to determine an order (e.g. Ladies 1, Ladies 2, Ladies 3 & Ladies 4) and will then be allocated to their rides according to the set formula.
5. The allocation of rides by this method will be final. Any trainer declaring a horse to run at the 48-hour declaration stage is deemed to have accepted these conditions.
6. All owners of participating horses agree that jockeys will wear the colours of the team which they represent as part of an agreement with the Racehorse Owners Association. All jockeys participating will carry their names on the back of their silks and wear a different coloured cap which will remain constant through the day.

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