We pinpoint the trainers to follow at the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot ahead of Saturday’s renewal.
With £85,000 guaranteed for the first five races and £100,000 up for grabs in the finale it’s no wonder these Class 2 (and one Class 3) handicaps in the Shergar Cup attract the big trainers and owners (who have to give up their usual silks).
Aidan O’Brien came to the Shergar Cup once, landed a double from two runners in the year 2000, and hasn’t been back since, and he won’t bid to keep that 100% record going this year with no runners from Ballydoyle entered up.
There are plenty of familiar names amongst the entries, however, and while Ian Ogg guides you through the day and the jockeys in this piece here, it’s worth focusing on the trainers who keep on coming back to plunder some Shergar Cup prizemoney.
Andrew Balding
Shergar Cup record: 15 wins from 88 runners at 17.05% (+£14 to £1 at SP)
Shergar Cup entries (9): Spirit Mixer, Shrimp Shady (14:10), Teumessias Fox, Peaky Blinder (14:45), King Of Berkshire, Who’s Lope, Level Look (15:55), Storm Star, Mister Winston (16:30).
Balding is the most prolific Shergar Cup winning trainer of all time with 15 victories and he started with a bang, landing a double in 2003 from three runners thanks to Pentecost and Lochridge. Pentecost was a regular and won twice from four runs at the meeting, while Balding has struck at more recent Shergar Cups with Scampi and Ranch Hand. He was 0/6 last year, but looks set to bring a strong team on Saturday in a bid to right that wrong.
Michael Bell
Shergar Cup record: 3 wins from 13 runners at 23.08% (+£4.33 to £1 at SP)
Shergar Cup entries (1): Gold Star Hero (13:35)
Bell is selective with his Shergar Cup runners but he has a tidy record having won with Shabernak, Eddie Jock and Gramercy, while he’s had three third-place finishers from his last five runners at the meeting so they nearly always run well. Gold Star Hero is entered in the opening Shergar Cup Dash and was in good form before finishing 18th in the Stewards’ Cup last time out.
William Haggas
Shergar Cup record: 7 wins from 35 runners at 20% (-£9.50 to £1 at SP)
Shergar Cup entries (6): Yabher, Frances Ethel (14:45), Thunder Call (15:20), Hoseki (15:55), Bullet Point, Eternal Force (16:30)
Haggas had his first Shergar Cup winner with Sun Central in 2012 and has been prolific since then, a 2022 treble with Amanzoe, Pride Of Priory and Hamaki a recent highlight. Last year he won the Classic with the well-backed Tenability at 7/4 and he could bid to go back-to-back in the race with his filly Hoseki, who won by a short head over the course and distance last time out.
Jessica Harrington
Shergar Cup record: 3 wins from 6 runners at 50% (+£25.25 to £1 at SP)
Shergar Cup entries (1): Pierre Grosse (15:55)
Harrington is a recent convert to the Shergar Cup and has won with Jungle Cove (2022), The Very Man (2023) and Going Remote (2024) for a one-in-two strike-rate. One entry this year is an eyebrow raiser, then, with Pierre Grosse entered up for the Shergar Cup Classic after finishing second to Tokyo Tower in a Curragh maiden last time.
William Muir
Shergar Cup record: 3 wins from 11 runners at 27.27% (+£18 to £1 at SP)
Shergar Cup entries (2): Blue Hercules (15:55), Ebt’s Guard (16:30)
Muir, now in partnership with Chris Grassick, has won with three of his last four Shergar Cup runners thanks to Just Hubert, Mitrosonfire and Ebt’s Guard. The latter landed the Shergar Cup Mile last year and could be back for more off a 5lb higher mark, while stablemate Blue Hercules is in the Shergar Cup Classic over 1m4f. The son of Ghaiyyath was a neck second over the course and distance last time and could bid to go one better off a 2lb higher rating on Saturday.
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