In his final year of riding, Frankie Dettori will captain the European team at Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup on Saturday, Aug. 12.
Twelve jockeys from eight countries will take part in the unique team contest, with Dettori set to be joined by Olivier Peslier and Kazakh-born Bauyrzhan Murzabayev, the multiple champion jockey in Germany who is now stable jockey to Andre Fabre.
“The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup is always a fun event and I was keen to be involved in my final year riding,” said Dettori.
“Ascot does an excellent job attracting some of the biggest names from around the world, while the prize-money and incentives for owners, trainers and stable staff are fantastic. I like the look of our team. Myself and Olivier were on the winning side in 2014 and hopefully we can repeat the feat this year.”
The GB & Ireland team consists of captain Luke Morris, Tom Marquand and Declan McDonogh, while Hayley Turner, the most successful rider at the Shergar Cup, will be joined by Hollie Doyle and Saffie Osborne on the Ladies team.
Hong Kong star Vincent Ho returns as captain of Rest of the World, and is joined by Brazil's Joao Moreira and Kazuo Yokoyama, a multiple Group 1 winner in Japan.
With owners benefiting from free entry for their horses, each race at the Shergar Cup is worth £80,000, with prize-money down to 10th place. There is a further £25,000 available in bonuses split between the day's three leading trainers and their staff.
Nick Smith, Director of Racing and Public Affairs at Ascot, said, “With the continued support of Dubai Duty Free, we are delighted to unveil one of our strongest and most varied lineups of jockeys for this year's Shergar Cup.
“Frankie is captaining Europe as part of his farewell tour, while it's great to welcome back Vincent Ho, who has made such an impression when riding in the UK previously.
“We are also excited to have Joao Moreira pencilled in for his third Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup appearance, in what could be his final year in the saddle. There will be debuts for Bauyrzhan Murzabayev, Luke Morris, Tom Marquand, Saffie Osborne and Kazuo Yokoyama.
“Of course, no Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup would be complete without Hayley Turner, who has such a tremendous record at Ascot and is synonymous with this event.”
Colm McLoughlin, Executive Vice Chairman & CEO of Dubai Duty Free, added, “Once again the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup will deliver a line-up of international stars who will have the opportunity to shine on one of horseracing's greatest stages.
“I am delighted that Frankie has chosen the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup as one of his final showcase events in the UK and we can expect the competition to be as fierce as ever.”
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