Hong Kong’s Hugh Bowman spoke of enjoying the atmosphere and the camaraderie among an international slate of riders on his return to the Shergar Cup at Ascot on Saturday (9 August), but when the chance to land the Silver Saddle, awarded to the competition’s top rider, was on the line, the Australian dug deep to claim his second in three editions.
It was Asia who prevailed in the main competition, with the Cup going right down to the wire in one of the closest competitions in recent memory. A rallying Europe were edged out by a single point (68-67) in a tense finale, with Great Britain & Ireland finishing third on 62 points. The Karis Teetan-captained Rest of the World team had to settle for fourth with 55 points.
Bowman got himself and his team off to the perfect start when he gave the Richard Fahey-trained Vintage Clarets a splendid ride in the opener, the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash (1000m). Teetan claimed third place on Venture Capital, but it was the Australian who showed daring as he drove his four-year-old charge through a vanishing gap 400m out and held on for maximum points to take Rest of the World to 25 after Race 1.
It was a third Shergar Cup win for the 44-year-old, who first competed in the event in 2007 when he captained the Rest of the World team to victory and claimed his first Silver Saddle.
“It’s a great feeling. [Vintage Clarets] was a bit of a handful when I got him. He’s a real character, but once I cantered down to post, he relaxed beautifully,” Bowman said. “When I let him go, he just put them away.”
Asia struck in the second, the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers (3207m), with Suraj Narredu claiming the win on Fireblade – a performance that earned him the Ride of the Day plaudits. Teetan grabbed 10 points for a second-place run on Almuhit to put the Rest of the World just one point off the top of the standings.
Another strong ride from Bowman saw him claim 10 points for an unlikely second-place finish on the front-running La Pulga in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge (2400m) and put the Rest of the World team back on top. The Charlie Johnston-trained six-year-old led all the way but lost out by half-a-length to Great Britain & Ireland’s Robbie Dolan on 11/4 favourite Night Breeze.
Japan’s Ryusei Sakai, enjoying a superb season, added a first UK victory to his glittering CV when he struck in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint (1200m) – the fourth leg of the competition – to claim another 15 points for Asia. And with Narredu claiming an additional five points for the fourth-place finish on Up The Pace, Asia again opened up a gap over Rest of the World at the top of the standings.
The standings were turned upside down after Race 5, however, when Europe claimed a one-two in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Classic (2400m). French rider Delphine Santiago prevailed on short-priced favourite Tenability, leading home Italian teammate Dario Di Tocco on 9/1 chance Team Player and dropping Rest of the World to the bottom of the standings, albeit with just 10 points separating first from fourth with one race remaining.
Both the main competition and the Silver Saddle award came down to the final race, the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Mile (1600m). But it was to be bittersweet for Bowman, who could only manage a battling third place on the 11/5 favourite Urban Lion – good enough to secure his second Silver Saddle by six points over Europe’s Per-Anders Graberg, but not enough to lift his team from the foot of the standings.
“It’s been a good afternoon,” Bowman said. “It’s my second Silver Saddle, actually – from three attempts – so it’s a lovely afternoon.
“I’m very proud to have won the Silver Saddle again,” he added, “and it’s great to see the racegoers come and support the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup, because it is an annual event, it is recognised globally, and it’s great to be a part of it.”
Organisers rejigged the format of the six-race showdown for 2025, with the Ladies team replaced by Asia. But they will no doubt be pleased with the result, given that four Shergar Cup debutants claimed victories and all the teams registered at least one win in one of the closest events to date.
