Everything you need to know about the 2024 Shergar Cup - plus a best bet

What is the Shergar Cup?

First run in 1999 at Goodwood, the Shergar Cup is a yearly horseracing event that is unique from almost every other raceday.

Based on one day at Ascot, 12 jockeys race in one of four teams and earn points depending on where they finish in the race. 

Each team is made up of three jockeys and their individual points are added together to give their team an overall score.

Unlike standard day-to-day racing, the jockey does not wear the silks of the horse's owner.

Shergar Cup silks: Europe (blue), Rest of the world (yellow), Great Britain and Ireland (green) and Ladies (pink)

Instead, they wear their team's specific colour, although the design of each set of silks and cap colour varies to distinguish individual competitors from one another in a race.

By the end of the six-race card, the final points tallies are calculated and the winning team is crowned champion.

There is also an individual award, the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle, which works in the same way: whoever is top of the league table at the end of the day is the winner.

The Shergar Cup really is that simple. Well, there are a few more things to highlight, which are covered below.

The teams

Europe

Bauyrzhan Murzabayev (C)

Jose-Luis Borrego

Alberto Sanna

Ladies

Hayley Turner (C)

Marie Velon

Joanna Mason

Rest of the world

Rachel King (C)

Rachel Venniker

Nanako Fujita

Great Britain and Ireland

Tadhg O'Shea (C)

Seamie Heffernan

Billy Loughnane

The races

• 1.35 Ascot: Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash Handicap | 5f, 3yo+, Class 2
• 2.10 Ascot: Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers Handicap | 2m, 4yo+, Class 2
• 2.45 Ascot: Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge Handicap | 1m4f, 4yo+, Class 2
• 3.20 Ascot: Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint Handicap | 6f, 3yo, Class 2
• 3.55 Ascot: Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Classic Handicap | 1m4f, 3yo, Class 3
• 4.30 Ascot: Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Mile Handicap | 1m, 4yo+, Class 2

The scoring system

Across the six races, each jockey will ride in five races. Because of the ten-runner maximum field size per race, each team will either have two or all three of their jockeys riding in one race.

The first five home in each race receive points in the following order:

• 1st: 15 points
• 2nd: 10 points
• 3rd: 7 points
• 4th: 5 points
• 5th: 3 points

If one of the declared horses is a non-runner, one of the two reserve horses is brought into the race.

If a horse cannot be replaced by a reserve horse, the jockey who is without a ride is awarded four points.

Best bet

In the penultimate race, the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Classic, it's hard to look past Solomon at the head of the market.

On his latest start he was given a no-nonsense ride from a prominent position to avoid potential hard-luck stories because his rider knew the quality of horse he had underneath him.

The three-year-old gelding by Siyouni gets in without a penalty as his win at Haydock on Monday was in an apprentice handicap.

Trainer William Haggas knows the family well as the gelding's Frankel half-brother Soulcombe won the 2022 Melrose Handicap at York impressively on his final start for Haggas before being bought to be trained by Chris Waller in Australia.

With an official rating of 85, a lenient-looking mark based on his two-and-a-half-length third to the 2,000 Guineas and Sussex Stakes winner Notable Speech at Kempton in February, he looks ready to bag another success.

Read more...

Meet the teams: we profile the 12 riders taking part in Saturday's Shergar Cup 

Joanna Mason replaces Saffie Osborne as Shergar Cup riders are announced 

Tadhg O’Shea rides first UK winner in ten months before he captains Great Britain and Ireland in Shergar Cup 

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