The absence of superstar crowd-puller Frankie Dettori, who is committed to ride for trainer John Gosden at Newmarket, will take some of the shine off the 2018 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup which is being held over six races at Ascot on Saturday.
Rest Of The World Team – Per-Anders Graberg, Corey Brown and Andrasch Starke in London on Thursday
Organisers of the event were no doubt hoping the popular jockey would be available to ride for the European team, but his place has been taken by French veteran Gerald Mosse, who is quoted at 40-1 to win the Silver Saddle. This despite Mosse having won the individual competition on both occasions when captaining the European team to victories in 2008 and 2013.
The team is made up of German champion Andrasch Starke, who last rode in the Shergar Cup back in 2013, and debutante Per-Anders Graberg, the top rider in Scandinavia.
The Australian star rider Corey Brown, involved in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot on Saturday for the first time, is part of a powerful Rest Of The World team which also consists of Japanese ace Yutaka Take and Brazilian ‘Magic Man’ Joao Moreira. There is no place for a South African rider, as has been the case in the past few years.
The girls’ line-up features another Shergar Cup regular in Hayley Turner, who was part of the winning 2015 team.
Hayley Turner – back to captain the girls
Turner captains Hollie Doyle, who was a last minute substitute twelve months ago for the injured Michelle Payne, as well as Josephine Gordon who competed alongside Turner in the 2016 renewal.
Great Britain and Ireland will bid to retain the Shergar Cup they won in 2017 and care captained by Fran Berry, who won the Silver Saddle last year, as well as Adam Kirby who rode in the event in 2015. The side is made up of Pat Cosgrave who makes his first Shergar Cup appearance.
Team betting from Winning Post, official bookmaker of the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup
Great Britain & Ireland 7/4
Girls 2/1
Europe 100/30
Rest of the World 5/1
Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle betting from Winning Post, official bookmaker of the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup
Adam Kirby 3/1
Hollie Doyle 5/1
Per-Anders Graberg 11/2
Fran Berry 11/2
Andrasch Starke 7/1
Pat Cosgrave 10/1
Hayley Turner 12/1
Joao Moriera 16/1
Yutaka Take 18/1
Corey Brown 25/1
Josephine Gordon 33/1
Gerald Mosse 40/1
