A media event was held for Saturday's Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at the Sydney Arms in Chelsea Thursday. The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup consists of 12 top riders divided between four teams–Great Britain & Ireland, Europe, Rest of the World and The Girls in a six-race showdown. The Girls team consists of Hayley Turner who has resumed riding and is moving her tack to France, Emma-Jayne Wilson, the top Canadian female jockey and Australia's Michelle Payne, who won the 2015 G1 Melbourne Cup at 100-1. Fellow international jockeys–Kerrin McEvoy (Australia), who is Payne's brother-in-law, Anthony Delpech (South Africa) and Keita Tosaki (Japan), were also present. Payne, who also trains out of her Nottingham Farm Stables in Australia, was due to compete in this event last year, but withdrew due to injury.
“I was so excited about the Shergar Cup last year and really gearing up to come to Ascot when my life shuddered to a sudden halt with a bad fall,” said Payne, who rode Kaspersky (Ire) (Footstepsinthesand {GB}) to a fifth-place finish in Royal Ascot's G1 Queen Anne S. in June and is pointing him toward the G1 Cox Plate Down Under. “But it is great to be out here this year and being able to compete.”
Turner is riding in her 11th Shergar Cup, one more than popular Italian rider Frankie Dettori.
“That's nice–to beat Frankie at something–it doesn't happen very often,” said Turner, who was a part of the winning The Girls team in 2015 with Wilson. “I am so excited to be riding at the Shergar Cup again. This is a team event, so I can blame [captain] Emma-Jayne if anything goes wrong or we don't win.”
Commented Wilson, “Just before racing, I am going to tell my teammates to have fun. That is what the Shergar Cup really is–a lot of fun. It would be a big disappointment if all the jockeys competing and the fans did not have fun.”
McEvoy captains the Rest Of The World Team in this, his second Shergar Cup appearance, and was in good spirits Thursday.
“I have got a good team of riders on my side this year,” he said, although Tosaki and Delpech will both be participating in the their first Shergar Cup. “There is some good prize money on offer, so everyone is going out there to try and get amongst it and do their best for the team. The main advice I would be giving to Anthony and Keita is to be patient. Ascot is a stiff old track whether that be on the round or the straight course.”
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