the shergar cup. rise of the female.

​Like it or loath it – I like it – the Shergar Cup is one of Ascot’s most popular race-meeting. It is a good, family day out and I am surprised it has not spawned similar events. Ascot know they have a winner and know how to sprinkle it with ever more gold dust. Add more girls. A tactic used for centuries to attract greater attention to any exhibition or social occasion.
The female team are repeat winners of this jockey challenge and this year there are to be two teams of female riders. Hayley Turner, of course, how could she not be involved, leads a European team comprising herself, Saffie Osborne and Marie Velon. Rachel King, the Britis apprentice who sought and achieved fame and fortune, and quite recently a husband, in Australia, will lead a world female three. The other two teams will be similar teams of male riders.
Equalising the male/female participation is a good move, though I question why there are to be no British or Irish based jockeys’ teams. In fact, the event is so successful I find hard to understand why Ascot has not gone full-bore and upped the teams to five or possibly six. Logistically this might prove tricky to pull-off, yet for the class of horse entered, the prize-money is so good I cannot see why attracting 15-18 runners per race would prove impossible to achieve.
I would like to see, or at least aspired to, three-teams of female jockeys and three of male. I would have gone for a British female team, Turner, Osborne, Doyle, obviously, a World female team, and a third team comprising an apprentice, another female professional, say Jo Mason and an Irish rider.
With the male teams comprising a similar mix. I suggest an apprentice as the Shergar Cup should be seen as front window for riding talent on the rise and not just a jolly for professionals already riding a crest of a wave.
Given the success of Carlisle’s all-female rider night and that Ascot achieve one of there best attendance for the Shergar Cup, I fail to understand why another British racecourse has not jumped on the bandwagon and thought-up a similar jockey challenge. The period between the Epsom Derby and Royal Ascot would be a suitable slot in the calendar for someone to try a Britain versus Irish clash, 4-teams of 4, with an English-born team, Irish jockeys based in England, a Irish-based team, and a female team, half Irish, half British. Perhaps such a meeting could be used to raise funds for equine charities?
On the last point. I wish British racing either held regular meetings throughout the year in aid of equine charities – yes I know there are a few about – or at least had charity boxes as a permanent fixture around the racecourse. The sport should align itself to charities that catch the fallen and the neglected horse, with perhaps every racecourse associated with one or more of these charities. The sport is too easily panned by our opposition when things go wrong, when the carcass of a horse is transported on an open-to-the-world’s eyes trailer hitched to a horsebox displaying a licenced trainers’ name, for instance.
Can we not be seen by the outside world as doing all we can to help support those whose kindness helps out equine friends live dignified lives outside of racing, as well as being a safety-net for all horses, whether they are thoroughbred or not. The sport could so easily help itself if only someone of influence could just think outside of the box for a moment.
Horsey people helping less fortunate horses, how could that not be a winner in the public acceptance stakes!