Andy Newton

Ascot Shergar Cup 2026 Guide: Teams, format and how the horse racing team event works

by
Andy Newton
3 August 2026

See our in-depth 2026 Shergar Cup guide ahead of the ‘love it, or hate it’ horse racing team event at Ascot racecourse on Saturday 8th August.

Including the 2026 Shergar Cup teams, format and how points are scored.

Plus how to watch the Shergar Cup, past winners and also how to book tickets that include top bands Blue, Boyzlife, B*Witched and Marvin Humes taking to the stage after racing.

For exclusive stories and all the detailed Racing news you need, subscribe to the Racing Ahead website, digital edition, or magazine from as little as 8p a day.

What Is The Shergar Cup at Ascot?🏇

The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup is one of the most distinctive and popular fixtures on the British Flat racing calendar.

Held annually at Ascot Racecourse in Berkshire, it brings together world-class jockeys competing as regional teams rather than as individuals.

Combining competitive handicap racing across various distances with a festival atmosphere, the meeting culminates in an open-air post-racing music concert featuring top-tier artists.

What Is The Shergar Cup Format? 🗒️

Unlike standard racedays where jockeys ride for individual owners and trainers, the Shergar Cup puts team tactical dynamics front and centre:

Team Competition: Top international jockeys are grouped into four regional teams.

Equal Ride Opportunity: Each race is a handicap contest featuring a full field (typically 10-12 runners).

Rides: Are allocated via a random ballot to ensure fairness among all teams and jockeys.

Dual Trophies: The teams battle for the ultimate prize-the Shergar Cup trophy-while individual jockeys compete for the prestigious Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle, awarded to the jockey who accumulates the most total points across the meeting.

2026 Shergar Cup Rules 📝

The rules governing the 2026 Shergar Cup meeting ensure balanced competition:

Field Allocations: Every team enters an equal number of horses per race.

Jockey Ride Caps: Each jockey is allocated an equal number of rides across the card to prevent any single rider from gaining an unfair numerical advantage.

Handicap Ratings: All races are run as handicap contests open to top-tier Flat horses.

Reserve Horses & Non-Runners: If a declared horse is withdrawn, reserve horses take their place, and points earned by substitute horses count toward the assigned team’s tally.

How Are Shergar Cup Points Scored? 🥇

Points are awarded to the top five finishing jockeys in each race on the card:

Finishing Position Points Awarded

🥇 – Place 15 points
🥈 – Place 10 points
🥉 – Place 7 points
4th – Place 5 points
5th – Place 3 points

Points earned by team members are combined to determine the overall Shergar Cup Team Champions.

Simultaneously, individual point totals are tracked to crown the winner of the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle.

Who Are the 2026 Shergar Cup Teams? 🧑‍🤝‍🧑

The 2026 edition introduces Team Hong Kong Jockey Club to the competition, joining established global rosters:

Europe: Christophe Lemaire (captain), Marie Velon and Frida Valle Skar

Hong Kong: Vincent Ho (captain), Jerry Chau and Luke Ferraris

Rest of the World: Yutaka Take, Jamie Melham and Suraj Narredu

Great Britain & Ireland: Saffie Osborne is the only rider confirmed at the moment

Nick Smith, Director of Racing, Ascot Racecourse, said: “This weekend’s ceremony and announcement marks probably the most important milestone in the 25-year history of the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup.

“To partner with the Hong Kong Jockey Club takes the competition to a new level on the world stage with the Hong Kong team set to carry their club colours and ride against the best jockeys from around the world. I am sure they will perform with distinction.

“We are also delighted to be staging the first World Pool event outside Group One parameters. This completes the portfolio of World Pool feature days at Ascot, which already includes Royal Ascot, King George Day and QIPCO British Champions Day. Having launched this global phenomenon with HKJC at Royal Ascot in 2019, this is a proud moment for us.

“I’d particularly like to thank Dubai Duty Free, our longstanding event sponsors, for their support, which has enabled us to build the competition’s global appeal and popularity over the years.”

What Date Is The 2026 Shergar Cup? 📆

The 2026 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup takes place on Saturday, 8 August 2026.

Location: Ascot Racecourse, Berkshire, UK
Gates Open: 11:00am
First Race: 1:35pm
Last Race: 4:30pm
Post-Racing Concert: From 5:05pm

BOOK TICKETS: You can book your 2026 Ascot Shergar Cup tickets here. 🎫

2026 Shergar Cup Race Times, Names and Distance 🏇

13:35 ASCOT Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash Cl2 (3yo+ 0-105) 5f ITV
14:10 ASCOT Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers (GBBPlus Race) Cl2 (4yo+ 0-100) 2m ITV
14:45 ASCOT Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge (GBBPlus Race) Cl2 (4yo+ 0-100) 1m4f ITV
15:20 ASCOT Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint Cl2 (3yo 0-100) 6f ITV
15:55 ASCOT Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Classic (GBBPlus Race) Cl3 (3yo 0-95) 1m4f ITV
16:30 ASCOT Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Mile Cl2 (4yo+ 0-105) 1m ITV

Is the 2026 Shergar Cup on ITV Racing? 📺

ITV Racing has signed a new deal to cover racing (Bradley Collyer/PA)

Yes, all six 2026 Shergar Cup races will be shown on ITV Racing on Saturday 8th August.

With their coverage starting at 1:10pm and running till 5pm.

Oli Bell will present the afternoon Ascot coverage.

While analysis will come from former Shergar Cup winning captain Hayley Turner and Kevin Blake.

With reports by Rishi Persad and Natalie Green and commentary by Mark Johnston

Which Team Won The Shergar Cup Last Year (2025)? 🥇

In a thrilling finish at Ascot on August 9, 2025, the newly introduced Team Asia edged out Team Europe by just a single point (68 to 67).

Key Details from 2025 Shergar Cup

Winning Team: Team Asia (68 pts)
Team Captain: Suraj Narredu (India)
Team Jockeys: Suraj Narredu, Ryusei Sakai (Japan), Mirai Iwata (Japan)
Silver Saddle Winner (Top Jockey): Hugh Bowman (Rest of the World team), who accumulated 32 individual points across the card

Past Shergar Cup Winners 🥇

Here are the winning teams and captains since the event was first staged in 2000

2000 – Europe (Capt: Pat Eddery)
2001 – Rest Of The World (Frankie Dettori)
2002 – GB and Ireland (Kieren Fallon)
2003 – Rest Of The World (Frankie Dettori)
2004 – Rest Of The World (Frankie Dettori)
2005 – Not Held
2006 – GB and Ireland (Jamie Spencer)
2007 – Rest Of The World (Hugh Bowman)
2008 – Europe (Gerald Mosse)
2009 – Ireland (Richard Hughes)
2010 – Ireland (Richard Hughes)
2011 – Ireland (Richard Hughes)
2012 – Rest Of The World (Yutaka Take)
2013 – Europe (Gerald Mosse)
2014 – Europe (Frankie Dettori)
2015 – Girls (Emma-Jayne Wilson)
2016 – Rest Of The World (Silvestre de Sousa)
2017 – GB and Ireland (Jamie Spencer)
2018 – Girls (Josephine Gordon)
2019 – Rest Of The World (Yuga Kawada)
2020 – Not Held
2021 – Girls (Hayley Turner)
2022 – GB and Ireland (Jamie Spencer)
2023 – Girls (Hayley Turner)
2024 – Girls (Hayley Turner)
2025 – Asia (Suraj Narredu)

WATCH: The 2025 Shergar Cup Highlights For All Races

Shergar Cup History 📜

The event is named in honour of Shergar, the famous 1981 Epsom Derby winner trained by Sir Michael Stoute and owned by the Aga Khan.

Inaugural Event (1999): The competition launched at Goodwood Racecourse as a match-race format between Europe and the Rest of the World.

Move to Ascot (2000): The fixture relocated to Ascot Racecourse, where it expanded into a multi-team competition sponsored by Dubai Duty Free.

Evolution of Teams: Over time, the event added the iconic Girls/Ladies team (which became one of the most successful franchises in the event’s history) and regional sides like Asia.

25th Anniversary (2026): Celebrating its silver anniversary, the 2026 renewal welcomes World Pool status and the inaugural participation of Team Hong Kong Jockey Club.

How Did The Shergar Cup Get Its Name? ⁉️

The tournament honours Shergar, an iconic figure in British and Irish racing who famously captured the 1981 Epsom Derby by a record-breaking ten lengths.

WATCH: Shergar Winning The 1981 Epsom Derby under Walter Swinburn

Shergar Kidnapped in 1983 😟

On the foggy night of February 8, 1983, a heavily armed gang of masked men raided the Ballymany Stud in County Kildare, Ireland, to steal the legendary racehorse Shergar.

The intruders burst into the home of head groom James Fitzgerald, holding his family at gunpoint before forcing Fitzgerald to lead them to the stallion’s stable and load the calm thoroughbred into a horse trailer.

To delay raising the alarm, the gang blindfolded Fitzgerald, drove him around for three hours, and dropped him on a remote country road with a warning that his family would be killed if he called the police.

The abductors left behind a code word, “King Neptune,” to identify themselves in future communication and subsequently demanded a £2 million ransom for the horse’s safe return.

The theft sparked a massive search, but the investigation was immediately hamstrung by the gang’s timing: they chose the eve of a major national horse sale, meaning hundreds of horseboxes were already crisscrossing Irish roads, making the trailer impossible to track down.

The horse’s syndicate owners-led by the Aga Khan-refused to pay the ransom without definitive proof that Shergar was alive, leading the kidnappers to cut off all communication after just a few days.

While the Irish Republican Army (IRA) was widely suspected of carrying out the heist to fund weapons purchases, the group never officially claimed responsibility.

Informants later alleged that the inexperienced gang panicked when the highly-strung racehorse became uncontrollable, brutally shooting him shortly after the kidnapping.

Shergar’s body was never recovered, leaving the fate of one of racing’s greatest champions an unsolved mystery.