Hollie Doyle hails 'great atmosphere and great day' after securing leading rider honours at Shergar Cup

Hollie Doyle did not come to Ascot for fun. After her first success she told ITV Racing, "it's not the taking part that counts for me, it's the winning!" When all was said and done she had done exactly that, lifting the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle for the first time.

Doyle picked up points in each of the five races she participated in but the highlight of her scoring streak was a 23-1 double, when victory on the Jessica Harrington-trained The Very Man in the Stayers was followed by a hard-fought win on Regal Empire in the Classic for James Tate. 

Yet it took until the concluding Sprint for the fate of the Silver Saddle to be decided, when a fourth-placed finish on Washington Heights guaranteed Doyle would finish as the leading rider at this year's Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup.

Doyle said: "I have never won the Silver Saddle before, so this is a great result. Obviously the girls' team have done well over the years and we had a good book of rides today, which is what you want to see."

The leading rider was also complimentary about the Ascot attendees, who gave her tremendous support.

"This meeting always attracts a nice crowd and they produce a great atmosphere – really laid-back," she said. "You can really feel it on the track and the Shergar Cup definitely has its place in the calendar.

"It is a really great day for the kids and I'd say there are definitely a few regulars who come back here each year. It's a very good meeting and Ascot do a great job."

Saturday's double pushed Doyle's seasonal tally to 56 winners, just three behind husband Tom Marquand, who sits in second in the Flat jockeys' championship behind William Buick. 

The 26-year-old hopes her strong form can continue and added: "I've had a great season so far but there is a long way to go. I will keep giving it a kick and trying as hard as I can, but I'm very pleased with how it is going at the moment."

This year's win takes the Ladies team strike-rate to 50 per cent in the Shergar Cup across the last eight years following success in 2015, 2018 and 2021.

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