Hughes steps in for Shergar duty

Jockey Richard Hughes will replace Richard Quinn in the HOK Design Team Ireland and Great Britain line-up for the Blue Square Shergar Cup at Ascot.

Quinn has been claimed by his main retainer Henry Cecil to ride at another meeting on Saturday.

‘‘Richard Hughes is a top-class jockey and we’re grateful to him for agreeing to take over from Richard Quinn,’’ said Nick Smith, head of public relations at Ascot.

‘‘Frankie Dettori has to go to Deauville but the plus side is that we’ve got a new high-profile name on show in Andreas Suborics, and that’s what the event is all about.’’

Snooker star John Parrott manages the home side which will be captained by Kieren Fallon with Pat Eddery, Kevin Darley, Michael Kinane and Johnny Murtagh completing the team.

In the absence of Dettori, who rides Sakhee for Godolphin at Deauville on Saturday, David Flores steps in as captain of the Dubai Duty Free Rest of the World team, to be managed by former champion jockey Michael Roberts.

As well as Suborics, Flores’s other teammates are Gerard Mosse, Craig Williams, Doug Whyte and Hiroki Goto.

Trainers have given the thumbs up to the Shergar Cup with a total of 178 horses standing their ground for the six races at the confirmation stage.