No Shergar Cup next year

Ascot have announced that the Blue Square Shergar Cup will not take place next year due to the redevelopment of the racecourse.

The Berkshire venue is due to shut down this autumn and fixtures are in the process of being transferred to other tracks.

Many of the transfers are still subject to detailed negotiations with potential host tracks, and while the fixture Ascot uses for the Shergar Cup will be moved, the jockeys’ challenge itself will not take place.

“Logistically, staging the Blue Square Shergar Cup away from Ascot would be difficult – it is a complex event,” said Ascot chief executive Douglas Erskine-Crum.

“Both Ascot and the sponsors are extremely proud of the way the competition has developed as a high-quality, credible and established jockeys’ competition whilst also providing one of the family highlights of the summer, with all the associated concerts, children’s sporting master classes and ‘meet the jockeys’ sessions we put in place.

“We are totally committed to the event, which will return bigger and better in 2006, and we’re looking forward to this year’s meeting.”

The fixture transfers announced so far for the period after Ascot’s closedown are October 8-9 to Salisbury, October 30 to Lingfield, November 19-20 to Windsor and December 17-18 to Windsor.

Next year, York will stage Royal Ascot, but all other 2005 fixtures are still subject to detailed negotiations.

This includes the prestigious King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes fixture, which according to today’s Racing Post is likely to be staged at Newbury.