Ascot Racecourse has announced that the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup (Saturday 10th August) will be run for £360,000, a total increase of £90,000.
Each race will be run for £60,000 (2018: £45,000) and as normal, there are no entry fees to run.
Tadhg O’Shea, Filip Minarik, Yuga Kawada and Hayley Turner have been confirmed as team captains for the 2019 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup. Hayley, who captained the Girls team to victory, is back, and will be joined by Jamie Kah from Australia, and recent Women Jockeys’ World Cup winner Nanako Fujita.
Last year saw the Girls team lift the trophy having amassed 76 points during the day, six clear of Team Europe on 70 points, whilst Hayley Turner won the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle trophy with 39 points.
The teams as they stand:
GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND | EUROPE | REST OF THE WORLD | GIRLS |
Tadhg O’Shea © IRE | Filip Minarik © GER | Yuga Kawada © JPN | Hayley Turner © GBR |
Danny Tudhope GBR | TO BE ANNOUNCED | Vincent Ho Chak-Yiu HKG | Jamie Kah AUS |
TO BE ANNOUNCED | TO BE ANNOUNCED | TO BE ANNOUNCED | Nanako Fujita JPN |
Ascot Racecourse will be making 200 complimentary Queen Anne Enclosure tickets available to racing staff. Delivered in partnership with the National Trainers Federation (NTF), through RacingGroom.com, the offer will enable signed up members of RacingGroom.com to apply for tickets for Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup day which includes a post-racing, fully live headline concert from Jessie J, with DJ set by Tinie Tempah and performance from Go West.
Full details of how racing staff can apply will be confirmed shortly. Racing staff, active on the day with runners, will continue to benefit from special prizes worth over £5,000, more than any other raceday in Britain.
Nick Smith, Director of Racing and Communications at Ascot, said: “The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup takes place at a competitive time of year in the ratings band in which we operate.
“Framing races to provide quality horses, appropriate to the quality of riders we invite to ride in the event, is important, and we hope that £60,000 handicaps, in limited fields of 10, with prize money down to last place, and no entry fees to pay, will add further appeal for owners and trainers.
“Jockeys ride for total event prize money of £20,000 in addition to their race prize money percentages.
“We are conscious that owners allow us to allocate jockeys on their behalf, and horses run in team colours as opposed to their own, so we want to make running financially attractive as well as providing first class race day hospitality.
“This year, we will be extending our thanks to racing staff, who are fundamental to keeping the show on the road, by making 200 Queen Anne Enclosure tickets available through the RacingGroom.com scheme in addition to the £5,000 prizes available to those participating.
“The jockey line up is looking strong, and will be confirmed as soon as retainer commitments are known. We are delighted with the domestic and international line up. In Danny Tudhope, who leads the British jockeys’ championship and rode four winners at Royal Ascot, and in star Japanese jockey, Nanako Fujita, that nation’s highest profile female rider ever and winner of the recent Women Jockeys’ World Cup at Bro Park in Sweden, we have two of the most ‘of the moment’ jockeys riding at present.”
Colm McLoughlin, Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman & CEO, said: “The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup continues to grow in stature and importance year-on-year and we are delighted to have played a part in the development of this unique raceday since its inception.
“As a global brand, the international element of the competition is important to Dubai Duty Free and we are delighted that the event has once again attracted top names from around the world.”