The Girls top in DDF Shergar Cup

dubai — The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup, the world’s premier international jockeys’ competition returned to Ascot Racecourse, UK, on Saturday, when a team of three elite female riders beat-off competition from some of the world’s top international jockeys.

Four teams compete in the points-based competition which is played out over six ten runner handicaps in front of a sell-out crowd. The final scores saw The Girls take the title with 76 points ahead of Europe on 70, Rest of the World in third place with 48 points and Great Britain and Ireland two points behind in last place.

The Girls captained by Josephine Gordon who was joined by Hollie Doyle and British racing’s most successful female rider, Hayley Turner, established an early lead in the competition with Doyle ringing Tis Marvellous home in front for trainer Clive Cox in the opening Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash over the minimum trip of five furlongs, and team-mate Turner scoring valuable points finishing third on Line of Reason.

After the second race, the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers over two miles, they were overtaken by Team Europe. Sweden’s Per-Anders Graberg registered his first win on only his second ride in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup. His fellow-countryman Frederik Johannsen has featured frequently and the experienced Graberg showed himself equally proficient bringing Andrew Balding’s Cleonte with sweet timing to overtake front running team mate Gerald Mosse on Stars Over The Sea. Team Europe took a single point lead over The Girls. And the tension of the struggle lasted right to the final strides of the final contest.

In the next race, the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge over the classic distance of twelve furlongs. Koeman, named after Holland’s former soccer captain and trained by one of England’s greatest strikers Mick Channon, went off favourite.