The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup will bring together some of the world’s leading jockeys at Ascot on Saturday, August 8, with Ryan Moore, Christophe Lemaire, Yutaka Take and Jamie Melham among the headline names.
Racing’s international team competition returns for its 25th running, with four teams contesting six handicap races across distances ranging from five furlongs to two miles.
The 2026 edition will also be staged as a World Pool fixture for the first time, adding another international element to one of Ascot’s most distinctive race days.
Moore is set to make only his second Shergar Cup appearance, 20 years after winning the Silver Saddle during his debut in the competition.
The multiple champion jockey will represent Great Britain and Ireland alongside Saffie Osborne and Irish champion Dylan Browne McMonagle.
McMonagle has enjoyed an outstanding season, highlighted by Classic success for the Joseph O’Brien stable, while Moore was crowned leading jockey at Royal Ascot earlier in the summer.
The availability of both riders was helped by the Phoenix Stakes moving to Sunday at the Curragh, leaving them free to compete at Ascot on Saturday.
Great Britain and Ireland will face a new rival this year, with the Hong Kong Jockey Club entering a dedicated team for the first time.
Vincent Ho will captain the Hong Kong side and will be joined by Jerry Chau and Luke Ferraris.
Ho is best known internationally for his successful partnership with Hong Kong champion Golden Sixty, but he also has previous Shergar Cup experience. He was part of the victorious Rest of the World team in 2019 and won the Shergar Cup Mile aboard Power Of Darkness.
The Hong Kong team replaces the Asia side that won the competition in 2025 and will race in the red colours previously used by Team Asia.
Japanese legend Yutaka Take will return as part of the Rest of the World team, which will be captained by Australian star Jamie Melham.
Melbourne Cup winner Jamie Melham returns to Britain with her international reputation continuing to grow, while Suraj Narredu completes a strong Rest of the World line up after captaining Team Asia to victory last year.
Europe will be led by French champion Christophe Lemaire, who will be joined by Marie Velon and Norwegian rider Frida Valle Skar.
Lemaire has spent much of his career competing successfully in Japan and brings extensive international experience to a European team capable of playing a major role throughout the afternoon.
The six-race programme begins with the Shergar Cup Dash over five furlongs before moving to the two-mile Stayers event.
The Challenge and Classic are both staged over approximately a mile and a half, while the three-year-old sprinters compete over six furlongs. The card concludes with the Shergar Cup Mile.
Five races carry £85,000 in prize money, while the concluding Mile is worth £100,000. Final horse declarations had not been published at the time of writing, with the available racecards still showing no confirmed runners.
Each jockey is scheduled to ride in five of the six races, with the horses distributed to provide the four teams with a balanced selection across the afternoon.
Points are awarded to the first five finishers in each race, with 15 points for a victory, followed by 10, seven, five and three.
The team accumulating the most points will lift the Shergar Cup, while the leading individual jockey receives the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle.
The competition was created as racing’s answer to golf’s Ryder Cup and was first held at Goodwood in 1999 before moving to Ascot the following year.
It is named after Shergar, the brilliant winner of the 1981 Derby who disappeared after being kidnapped from the Aga Khan’s stud in Ireland in 1983.
The format has continued to evolve throughout its history. Great Britain and Ireland, Europe and the Rest of the World were previously joined by an international women’s team, before Team Asia entered the competition in 2025.
Hong Kong’s arrival provides another significant change in 2026 and reflects the increasingly global nature of the meeting.
With Moore returning after two decades, McMonagle joining the competition during a major season and international champions representing Hong Kong, Europe and the Rest of the World, the 2026 Shergar Cup has assembled one of its strongest riding line ups.
The final horse fields will determine which team receives the strongest book of rides, but with some of world racing’s biggest names heading to Ascot, the battle for the Shergar Cup promises to be one of the highlights of the British summer.
Who are the Shergar Cup teams?
Great Britain & Ireland, green with white sleeves
Saffie Osborne, Ryan Moore and Dylan Browne McMonagle
Hong Kong Jockey Club, blue with yellow sleeves
Vincent Ho, Jerry Chau and Luke Ferraris
Europe, red with white sleeves
Christophe Lemaire, Marie Velon and Frida Valle Skar
Rest of the World, yellow with white sleeves
Jamie Melham, Yutaka Take and Suraj Narredu
By Scott Bailey – iRACE
