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Shergar Cup 2025: Doyle Leads as New Asia Team s the Fray
A stellar cast of international riding talent will descend on Ascot for the 2025 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup, with the event undergoing a notable format shake-up as it enters its third decade under the backing of Dubai Duty Free.
Among the headline acts is Hollie Doyle, who returns for her fourth Shergar Cup appearance and leads the Great Britain & Ireland team in a fresh configuration that retires the long-standing Ladies’ team. It’s a symbolic and timely shift, recognising that performance, not gender, defines success in the saddle.
Doyle arrives at Ascot fresh from her latest landmark achievement—becoming Britain’s winningest female jockey after chalking up her 1,023rd career success at this very track. She’ll be ed by Lexus Melbourne Cup-winning Robbie Dolan, whose talents stretch beyond the turf, having once charmed audiences as a quarterfinalist on The Voice Australia. That same voice, perhaps more used to urging horses home, was coached by none other than Rita Ora—herself a Shergar Cup concert headliner back in 2018.
In a significant evolution for 2025, the newly formed Asia team takes the place of the Ladies, complete with a bold red strip and a lineup steeped in pedigree. Ryusei Sakai—famed for his association with Forever Young, the globe’s current top-rated racehorse—makes his Shergar Cup debut alongside compatriot Mirai Iwata, the reigning World All-Star Jockeys champion. India’s Suraj Narredu, a trailblazer in his own right, will captain the team.
Europe sees the return of Sweden’s ten-time champion Per-Anders Gråberg, last seen in this competition in 2018. He’s ed by Switzerland’s Sibylle Vogt, who broke ground as the first female rider to land the German 1,000 Guineas, and Italy’s prolific Dario Di Tocco, with over 850 winners to his name, including last season’s Derby Italiano aboard Goldenas.
Flying the flag for the Rest of the World will be Karis Teetan, a regular fixture in Hong Kong’s Group 1 winner’s enclosures thanks to stars like Romantic Warrior. His teammates, along with a final GB & Ireland selection, will be announced nearer the event.
The meeting, held on Saturday 9th August 2025 at Ascot, offers £500,000 in prize money spread across six fiercely competitive races, with an added £25,000 in stable bonuses. This year also marks 20 years of Dubai Duty Free’s title sponsorship—a rare feat of longevity in modern sport.
Nick Smith, Ascot’s Director of Racing and Public Affairs, reflected on the structural changes:
“We’re pleased to have secured top talent from across the world to compete at the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup with at least eight different countries set to be represented already.
“We feel now is the time to move away from a Ladies only team, and this new evolution of the format keeps the event fresh."
Hollie Doyle echoed the sentiment:
‘The Ladies team over the years has had great success, but the new changes that have been made which include integrating the male and female jockeys on the same team, is a nice reminder that we as jockeys complete on a level playing field internationally.”
As ever, the day doesn’t end with the final furlong. The post-racing concert is back, headlined this year by Perrie, with Joel Corry and Marvin Humes in . Tickets start at £35, with best price offers available until midnight on Friday 2nd May.
