Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup |
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| Saturday 11th August 2018 |
THE GIRLS WIN THE 2018 DUBAI DUTY FREE SHERGAR CUP
THE GIRLS 76
EUROPE 70
REST OF THE WORLD 48
GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND 46
HAYLEY TURNER TAKES THE ALISTAIR HAGGIS SILVER SADDLE
HAYLEY TURNER 39
JOAO MOREIRA 38
PER-ANDERS GRABERG 25
ANDRASCH STARKE 25
HOLLIE DOYLE 22
PAT COSGRAVE 21
GERALD MOSSE 20
FRAN BERRY 15
JOSEPHINE GORDON 15
COREY BROWN 10
ADAM KIRBY 10
YUTAKA TAKE 0
The “Girls” team and in particular Hayley Turner grabbed the headlines on Saturday when the team lifted the Shergar Cup and competition stalwart Turner won the Silver saddle from “Magic Man” Moreria.
Hollie Doyle got the team off to a flyer in the first when Clive Cox’s Tis Marvellous won snugly from Gracious John.
Hayley Turner won the Shergar Cup Mile aboard Via Serendipity who was prominent throughout and found plenty when asked inside the final furlong. This victory left the girl’s in a strong position but Moreria pushed them all the way as he landed the final two races. Firstly, aboard Berkshire Blue who landed a late plunge despite wandering all the way up the straight. Green Power landed the last under another fine ride from Moreira and had Hayley not finished second on Roundhay Park, then silver saddle would have been going home with the Brazilian.
“I’m going to wake up in a minute. I can’t believe it,” said Turner
The Shergar Cup is all about the jockeys but trainer Andrew Balding deserves a special mention as the had a three-timer at Ascot with Cleonte, runaway winner Genetics and the aforementioned Berkshire Blue.
Teams:
Great Britain & Ireland
- Fran Berry
- Adam Kirby
- Pat Cosgrave
Rest of the World
- Joao Moreira
- Yutaka Take
- Corey Brown
Europe
- Andrasch Starke
- Per-Andres Graberg
- Gerald Mosse
Girls
- Hayley Turner
- Hollie Doyle
- Josephine Gordon
MOREIRA: "I AM EXTREMELY HAPPY"
One of the world's best jockeys Joao Moreira, the former Hong Kong champion jockey, made it a 70.5/1 double on the 2018 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup card - after his success on Berkshire Blue in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Classic, he also won the finale, the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint aboard Green Power, finishing a neck ahead of the Hayley Turner-ridden Roundhay Park (5/1).
He was beaten by Turner for the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle by just a point - he finished up on 38 with Turner on 39, but was awarded ride of the day on Green Power.
"Things went his way, I couldn't be more pleased with how it went, he has a fighting spirit," said Moreira of the John Gallagher-trained three-year-old, sent off a 12/1 chance.
"It couldn't be any better and I am extremely happy. My horse crossed the line a head in front, so I was quite confident we had won," said the Magic Man. "At one stage, I thought he was done and fortunately he kind of found another gear in the last 50 metres. He gave me it all and we got there in a good fashion."
Moreira was delighted with his second trip to Ascot for Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Day, which attracted a crowd of 31,071.
"Congratulations to the Girls. They have done an amazing job and deserve it," he said. "Third is not the right thing, but I am extremely happy to have two winners on my back.
"I am looking forward to another day here - if I get invited to come back!"
The Rest of the World team finished third with 48 points, and Moreira has enjoyed the whole experience.
"Honestly, I hoped for a little a bit less than what it ended up so the day has exceeded my expectations," he admitted.
"I pushed down my expectations, because I was told that none of my rides were very good, but when I got on top of some of the horses today and they were looking so beautiful and shiny, I believed in that and believed in them.
"As we know, horseracing doesn't always go the way that people look at it.
"I am not that young anymore - I am 35 - at the start of the challenge I had a little bit of nerves in my stomach, but, if I didn't feel that, then I wouldn't want to be in horseracing any more! I am extremely happy with the day."
Shergar Cup 2017
