(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Frankie Dettori captain of Team Europe admitted he couldnt get anywhere near riding a winner.
Officlals and jockeys at the presentation ceremony
The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup has flourished with support of the world renowned airport retailer who has been associated with the event since its first running at Ascot Racecourse in 2000.
The premier international jockeys’ challenge brings together twelve top riders male and female from the world’s top racing nations to fight out six races from five furlongs to two miles on Britain’s premier racecourse in four teams representing Great Britain & Ireland Rest of the World Europe and The Girls team.
Frankie Dettori captain of Team Europe admitted he couldn’t get anywhere near riding a winner but his team Europe took the world’s premier international jockeys’ competition at the world’s premier track on August 9.
Europe whose team included Dutch rider Adrie de Vries achieved victory by one point from The Girls while Olivier Peslier took the Silver Saddle as leading rider for the first time.
Runner-up to the former French champion was Canada’s star jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson who had two wins to Peslier’s one but the Frenchman overtook her with more points for placings. Consolation was found in the Dubai Duty Free Ride of the Day Award judged by two former Irish Derby winners Joe Mercer and John Reid which she claimed for her masterful ride aboard Don’t Call Me in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Mile.
Four races were decided by photofinish – two by a nose.
Dubai Duty Free Executive Vice Chairman Colm McLoughlin at the event said “We are delighted to be sponsors of the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup. It is a very special event that brings some of the world’s top jockeys together at one of the world’s sporting venues.” Also present at the event are other Dubai Duty Free senior officials including George Horan President Salah Tahlak Senior Vice President-Corporate Communications Ramesh Cidambi Senior Vice President-IT & Logistics and Sinead El Sibai Vice President-Marketing.
Every meeting at Ascot is unique in its own way. There is nothing to compare with Royal Ascot – and nothing like the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup. British racing is grateful that the world’s biggest duty free operator is committed to the event for three more years and has enhanced its support by adding all six races to title sponsorship. A crowd of almost 30000 more than matched previous year’s attendance.
The competition has become part of the racing calendar a unique jockeys’ team competition won on five of the previous thirteen occasions by the Rest of the World team while Europe romped home for the second year running. This year the total prize fund for each race was up £10000 to £40000.
The Rest of the World struck first in the Dash through Craig Williams on Goldream in a fighting finish with Olivier Peslier. Williams a leading rider in his native Australia was at pains to point out that in winning the Dash he had accumulated more points (15) than on his two previous Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup visits.
The Stayers was a poignant affair: the pink colours for The Girls replaced those usually carried by Khaled Abdullah’s champion heroes Frankel and Kingman on Abdullah’s Retirement Plan. Lady Cecil was there to give the leg up to Emma-Jayne Wilson emulating Craig Williams in winning her first Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup race at the third attempt. “Let’s go for Number Two” was her battle cry.
Somehow Great Britain & Ireland had scored no points in the first two races. Tom Queally repaired that omission on Luca Cumani-trained Semeen in the Shergar Cup Challenge. For the third race running the event went to a team captain.
Olivier Peslier had the decisive word though on Our Gabrial when nosing out Emma Jayne on Astronereus in the Classic putting himself and Europe back on top after the fifth and penultimate race. There was just a nose in it between two of the world’s top jockeys at the finish of one and a half miles.
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