Hughes stars in home win
Richard Hughes and Mark Johnston were the biggest winners as the Great Britain and Ireland team captured the 2002 Blue Square Shergar Cup at Ascot today as they defeated the Rest of the World by 137 points to 110.
Hughes rode three winners and took the Silver Saddle trophy for the day’s top jockey while Johnston also completed a double to carry off the £7,500 cheque for the leading trainer.
Ascot officials were also celebrating as a bumper crowd of over 23,000 enjoyed a surprise spell of sunshine and the post-race concert by Natalie Imbruglia.
Johnston and Hughes teamed up to strike the first blow in the opener as Bouncing Bowdler got the best of a four-way photograph for the Moss Bros Shergar Cup Mile.
The 12-1 made all the running and though challenged strongly in the final stages, held off Dumaran and Japanese rider Hiroki Goto by a short-head for the prize.
“I was lucky to get a soft lead and although I could hear them coming to me my horse was game in front and battled hard,” said the winning rider.
“It’s nice to get the team off to a good start and I hope we can keep it up - we used a few tactics and it came off.”
Hughes followed up by giving veteran trainer Reg Hollinshead a welcome boost as Goldeva squeezed through to take the Porthault Shergar Cup Distaff.
Without a winner for almost a month, the stable’s representatives have been suffering from pollen allergy problems.
But 20-1 shot Goldeva looked in the fullness of health as she came late under Hughes to edge out Vita Spericolata by three-quarters of a length.
“A lot of Reg’s horses have been struggling with pollen and they’ve had gunge in their lungs for a while,” said winning owner Mike Pyle.
“Reg hasn’t been very well either and hopefully this will give everybody a boost.
“This was the first horse we owned, we bought her from Reg when she was just a scruffy foal with warts on her nose and to come and win a race like this at Ascot is brilliant.”
American David Flores received a three-day ban (August 19 to 21) for failing to ride his mount, Bandanna, out for fifth place.
Hughes completed a 1,227 1/2-1 treble as King’s Welcome – 14-1 from 33s for the Tote-Ebor with Coral – landed a gamble at 7-2 in the Carvill Shergar Cup Challenge.
“It’s been an amazing day, really special,” said the winning rider. “I have to thank Khalid Abdullah for letting me off my one ride at Newmarket so I could be here.
“To do it against some of the best riders in the world makes it even more amazing. You get a real buzz.”
Johnston completed his own double when course specialist Mana d’Argent dotted up in the Millennium Hotels Shergar Cup Stayers.
The unique format of the competition meant that Pat Eddery was able to ride his first winner for Johnston, something which pleased the trainer greatly.
“I think that is eight out of nine races this horse has been placed in at Ascot and he loves the place,” he said.
“I said to Pat that he should ride it as he found it and I am delighted it has gone so well.
“Pat hasn’t been on a lot of good horses for me but those he has ridden just haven’t quite clicked for him and it is fantastic to put this thing to bed in style.
“I have always thought that he is one of the greatest jockeys in the world.”
Johnston has always thrown his full support behind this unique contest and was not about to retract it after having saddle two winners.
“I come here because there are 10-runner races with great prize-money and free entries,” he said.
“You don’t need 30 runners to make a good race and I think the event is fantastic, I ask my owners whether they want to run for good prize-money at no cost and unsurprisingly a lot of them do. Let’s hope it goes on from here.”
By the time Feet So Fast won the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint the contest was all but over but the 6-4 favourite did the business anyway.
Sent clear a furlong out by Michael Kinane, the winner easily accounted for Ashdown Express by three lengths and will now be aimed at the Diadem Stakes.
