The Shergar Cup is back - but just how does the competition work?

Perotto (Thore Hammer Hansen, second from right) gets up to beat Fox Tal and Joao Moreira in a thrilling finish on Shergar Cup day at Ascot

The Shergar Cup: is back on SaturdayCredit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup is back for its 24th edition, but just how does Britain's unique international team-based competition work?

Four teams will take each other on at this year's Shergar Cup, representing Asia, Europe, Great Britain and Ireland and the Rest of the World, with 12 jockeys riding on the card. There will be three jockeys for each team.

Across the six races, ten of the 12 jockeys have five rides, with Great Britain and Ireland's Hollie Doyle and Europe's Per-Anders Graberg having four each. This is due to the Shergar Cup Classic not reaching its full field of ten runners.

The jockeys and teams will fight it out to accumulate the highest number of points, and the higher they finish in each race, the more they will win. Points are awarded to the first five horses home – 15 for first, ten for second, seven for third, five for fourth and three for fifth.

Four of the races have reserve runners and they can be substituted into their respective contest up to 45 minutes before post-time.

If there is a non-runner which cannot be replaced by a reserve, four points will be awarded to the team and the jockey missing out. If there is a dead-heat, the points for the two places are added together, divided by two and shared between those jockeys and teams.

The team with the highest total at the end will win the Shergar Cup, while the jockey who gets the most points will also win the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle trophy, and take home an extra £3,000. If there is a tie for either, the team or jockey with the most victories on countback will be crowned the winners.

As another bonus, the leading trainer will also take home £9,000, with an extra £3,500 going to their stable staff.

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