Top riders assemble for DDF Shergar Cup

Twelve of the world’s top international jockeys are heading for Ascot Racecourse, UK for the DDF Shergar Cup, the world’s premier international jockeys’ competition which takes place on Saturday.

Four teams representing Great Britain and Ireland, Europe, Rest of the World and The Girls will go head-to-head in the points-based competition which is played out over six competitive ten-runner handicaps each worth Pound 60,000.

Irish-born Tadhg O’Shea who is based in Great Britain and in March this year became the UAE’s most successful rider of all-time will captain the Great Britain and Ireland team.

He is joined by Danny Tudhope, currently in second place in the British jockeys’ Championship with more than 85 winners this season and making his DDF Shergar Cup debut.

Jamie Spencer, winner of two British and five Irish Classics and four winners in five previous appearances at the DDF Shergar Cup completes the line-up.

Hayley Turner, the most successful female jockey in British racing history will lead The Girls team bidding for back-to-back DDF Shergar Cup victories. 

On her 12th appearance in the DDF Shergar Cup last year Turner collected the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle for the meeting’s most successful jockey. 

Turner is joined by Japan’s only licenced female jockey, Nanako Fujita, who returns to Europe having won the Women Jockeys’ World Cup at Bro Park, Stockholm at the end of June, and Australia’s Jamie Kah who set the record for most wins by a female jockey in an Australian season in 2016/17, ending the campaign with 129 wins.Kah’s 500th career win followed at Morphettville in July, 2017.

Japan’s Yuga Kawada captains the Rest of the World team and makes his DDF Shergar Cup debut. Kawada is one of only eight jockeys in JRA history to have won all five Classic races in Japan, the first of which came with Captain Thule in the 2008 Japanese 2,000 Guineas.

He has ridden over 1,200 winners in Japan, including 12 at Group 1 level and is on course to enjoy his best season to date, currently topping the JRA standings with more than 95 winners this season.

Kawada is joined by Vincent Ho Chak-Yiu, better known in his native Hong Kong as C-Y Ho where he has ridden a total of 257 winners including 55 during the 2018/19 season which saw him finish fourth in the jockeys’ championship.

No stranger to success in Britain, having ridden the Mark Johnston-trained X Rated to victory at Haydock Park on Aug.9, 2018.

Australia’s Mark Zahra who registered first Group 1 victory on the Jim Conlan-trained Above The Deck in the Doomben Cup in May, 2006 and rode his first winner for Darley in May 2009, which led him to being retained as second jockey to Sheikh Mohammed’s operation in Melbourne behind Kerrin McEvoy.