Female jockeys join Shergar squad

Two female jockeys will join their male colleagues for the first time in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup.

Joint champion British apprentice Hayley Turner will be on the Great Britain and Ireland Team, while Canada’s Emma-Jayne Wilson will be riding for the Rest of the World in the tournament at Ascot on August 12.

Though the full line-up has yet to be confirmed, Turner is likely to be riding alongside the likes of Kieren Fallon, Jamie Spencer, Mick Kinane and Kevin Darley.

Wilson will be alongside Frankie Dettori, Australian star Glen Boss, the multiple Hong Kong champion Doug Whyte, Japanese ace Yuichi Fukanaga and French star Gerald Mosse.

Wilson, 24 from Brampton, Ontario, rode 180 winners last year, notching over Can 6.3 million in total prize money.

“The 2006 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup is going to be a ground-breaking competition, with two young female Flat jockeys put under the spotlight for the first time in this country alongside many of the world’s greatest male riders,” said Shergar Cup event manager Alistair Haggis.

“With Emma-Jayne having taken Canada by storm last year, it will be fascinating to see how they get on alongside superstars like Frankie Dettori.”