Hughes hopes for Shergar success

Richard Hughes is hoping to have the luck of the Irish in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot tomorrow.

Hughes is captain of the Irish team who are favourites to lift the trophy and he is also market leader to be top jockey on the day.

"Hopefully I've got some good rides, but you never know what the ground is going to be like at Ascot," he said.

He certainly looks to have a good book of rides, although he will now be riding long-term absentee Jimmy Ryan in the opening Barclays Shergar Cup Stakes after his original mount, Biniou, was declared a non runner.

Hughes then teams up with Polly's Mark from Clive Cox's yard in the Titanic Quarter Shergar Cup Classic Handicap.

"Hopefully the ground will be OK for her. She won well the last day, it wasn't the best race ever run but she doesn't look badly in," he remarked.

He is on another top weight We'll Come, trained by Michael Jarvis, in the Les Ambassadeurs Club Shergar Cup Mile.

"He has good runs and bad runs, hopefully it will be a good one tomorrow. He put in a bad run last time, but he might be hard to beat," he said.

Hughes is sweet on the chances of Overrule from Brian Ellison's stable in the Sodexho Prestige Shergar Cup Stayers Handicap.

"Overrule would have a good chance. He looks one of strongest rides with a bit of luck," he went on.

"He's in very good form and stays well. I don't feel there's an outstanding horse in that race."

But he admits being in the dark about his fifth and final mount, Press The Button in the Michael Page International Shergar Cup Challenge.

"I don't know much about that horse. I'll just hope for the best," he said.

Hughes sits out the last race while his teammates Seamus Heffernan and Neil Callan do the honours.

"It will give me chance to get changed before I go to Lingfield in the evening," he added.

"I'm not guaranteed a winner at Ascot, so I thought I'd go to Lingfield to see if I can get some winners after it, but we'll give Ascot a good go and it will be good fun."