The 2025 Shergar Cup

[Truncheon]

Maureen Haggas has had a pop

'The standard is noticeably lower than usual' - Maureen Haggas urges Ascot to improve quality of jockeys at Shergar Cup

Ascot has been urged by Maureen Haggas to improve the overall quality of riders invited to future Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cups, after she claimed... Read More

www.racingpost.com

Just scrap the bloody thing or move it to one of the bank holiday Monday's, it's just a waste of a Saturday

All the big jockeys have no interest and were riding elsewhere today, they should just realise that no one gives a toss about jockey contests

 

[Ian_Davies]

I'm one of those who doesn't mind it once a year, but I have to admit defending it today would be a tough gig.

 

[pawras]

Maureen Haggas has had a pop

'The standard is noticeably lower than usual' - Maureen Haggas urges Ascot to improve quality of jockeys at Shergar Cup

Ascot has been urged by Maureen Haggas to improve the overall quality of riders invited to future Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cups, after she claimed... Read More

www.racingpost.com

Just scrap the bloody thing or move it to one of the bank holiday Monday's, it's just a waste of a Saturday

All the big jockeys have no interest and were riding elsewhere today, they should just realise that no one gives a toss about jockey contests

I guess the people who would bet based on a jockey team rather than the assessed chances of an individual horse in a race are the sort of 'customers' that appeal to some quarters

 

[Danny]

Anyone criticising the Jockeys today should do so after rewatching Glorius Goodwood and watching some of the supposedly higher quality jockeys ( worlds best included) ride some absolute shockers.

Long live the Shergar cup and the Racing league are they for the purists no, but there are a lot worse events, rides and absolute shitshows all year round in racing.

If you dont like watching it take the stick from out of your arsehole and poke yourself in the f$%^ing eyes with it.

 

[yorick]

Anyone criticising the Jockeys today should do so after rewatching Glorius Goodwood and watching some of the supposedly higher quality jockeys ( worlds best included) ride some absolute shockers.

Long live the Shergar cup and the Racing league are they for the purists no, but there are a lot worse events, rides and absolute shitshows all year round in racing.

If you dont like watching it take the stick from out of your arsehole and poke yourself in the f$%^ing eyes with it.

Ooh er! Blimey.

 

[Barnestormer]

I backed Suite Francaise in the opener at Haydock today as I thought Joe Fanning might steal a march on the other runners from the front.
It's a pity the so called top jockeys didn't think the same as there were some shocking rides in the race.

 

[Ian_Davies]

Anyone criticising the Jockeys today should do so after rewatching Glorius Goodwood and watching some of the supposedly higher quality jockeys ( worlds best included) ride some absolute shockers.

Long live the Shergar cup and the Racing league are they for the purists no, but there are a lot worse events, rides and absolute shitshows all year round in racing.

If you dont like watching it take the stick from out of your arsehole and poke yourself in the f$%^ing eyes with it.

Just about the post of the week, actually, now I come to think about it.

I stand by what I said, the Shergar Cup riding standard was hard to defend this afternoon imo.

But Danny is right - it's rose-tinted in the extreme to think supposedly higher level jockeys don't make errors most days of the week.

The Sussex Stakes is just one such example.

I have integrity concerns with the Racing League despite the prize money for the level.

But then I have integrity concerns every day of the week during midweek and at least the Racing League racing is a cut above most meetings on a Thursday night.

And the Shergar Cup is only once a year ffs - you'd think it was every week from the way some whinge about it.

Plus this year it was a vehicle for a horse highlighted by Slim at 33/1 ante-post, called a "savage price" by him at 9/1 first show after final decs and wound up 7/4 favourite!

Ok, it was arguably ultimately overbet, maybe because it was napped in the RP, the two top selling tabloids tipped it, hence it must have been in plenty of multiples, and it was Hollie Doyle on a Saturday card when few of her rivals were known.

But what more do you want for entertainment and value?

I'll happily bet 7/4 jollys at 33s and 9s "the rest of me natural" and take my chances with what happens in the actual race.

I hedged out at 3.25 for a bet to nothing anyway, "Leafy" did the same at 3.05 and if we'd had the bottle to wait another minute we could have laid 2.96.

This is high octane stuff - call the Shergar Cup what you like, but don't call it boring.

Roll on 2026.

 

[Frankel]

Anyone criticising the Jockeys today should do so after rewatching Glorius Goodwood and watching some of the supposedly higher quality jockeys ( worlds best included) ride some absolute shockers.

Long live the Shergar cup and the Racing league are they for the purists no, but there are a lot worse events, rides and absolute shitshows all year round in racing.

If you dont like watching it take the stick from out of your arsehole and poke yourself in the f$%^ing eyes with it.

Good post lad.

Far too much moaning and drivel spouted.

Watching Vintage Clarets hose up was a great way to start the day

 

[reet hard]

The sport is called horse racing,and it's a travesty to divert the emphasis to teams or jockeys,(imo).
Like it or not.,punting's the lifeblood of the sport,and to run this peak season is a waste of a good Saturday for manyof the sport's followers.
It's not football,so why mess with it?

 

[pawras]

Anyone criticising the Jockeys today should do so after rewatching Glorius Goodwood and watching some of the supposedly higher quality jockeys ( worlds best included) ride some absolute shockers.

Long live the Shergar cup and the Racing league are they for the purists no, but there are a lot worse events, rides and absolute shitshows all year round in racing.

If you dont like watching it take the stick from out of your arsehole and poke yourself in the f$%^ing eyes with it.

Lol indeed you can just watch the races & ignore all the Shergar Cup or Racing League element.

There was a lot people there having a nice day out so I don't see anything wrong with trying different add on elements to see what generates interest.

It's like people getting all po-faced about the music stuff on afterwards yesterday & other meetings.

 

[Ian_Davies]

Lol indeed you can just watch the races & ignore all the Shergar Cup or Racing League element.

There was a lot people there having a nice day out so I don't see anything wrong with trying different add on elements to see what generates interest.

It's like people getting all po-faced about the music stuff on afterwards yesterday & other meetings.

% agree with this.

What is the actual point of getting out of your pram about something that is once a year?

When I went in 2011, it was a normal Ascot Saturday, six races, they just happened to be all handicaps, and the crowd, while not seeming much interested in the team element, were loving the actual racing, 3/1 the field minimum, any winner almost paid for your bets, two winners paid for your day out, races over a variety of distances and, for once, the music after racing was of my time and I didn't mind the genre so it was cracking.

How did it "ruin a Saturday" when there were about six other cards, including the Rose Of Lancaster at Haydock Park plus cracking Group action at The Curragh?

No wonder so many people think racing is a moaning old men's club - makes me embarrassed to be a Boomer!

I'm going to start pretending I'm Generation X - or even Millenial, though that's pushing it - to distance myself from all this Last Of The Summer Wine-esque, "aye lad" provincial misery!

 

[reet hard]

% agree with this.

What is the actual point of getting out of your pram about something that is once a year?

When I went in 2011, it was a normal Ascot Saturday, six races, they just happened to be all handicaps, and the crowd, while not seeming much interested in the team element, were loving the actual racing, 3/1 the field minimum, any winner almost paid for your bets, two winners paid for your day out, races over a variety of distances and, for once, the music after racing was of my time and I didn't mind the genre so it was cracking.

How did it "ruin a Saturday" when there were about six other cards, including the Rose Of Lancaster at Haydock Park plus cracking Group action at The Curragh?

No wonder so many people think racing is a moaning old men's club - makes me embarrassed to be a Boomer!

I'm going to start pretending I'm Generation X - or even Millenial, though that's pushing it - to distance myself from all this Last Of The Summer Wine-esque, "aye lad" provincial misery!

Pure self imterest on my part,which is normally your domain,eh?

 

[Barnestormer]

With four jockeys riding in the Shergar Cup now banned for misuse of the whip does this not strengthen the case for knocking this meaningless competition on the head?

 

[Ian_Davies]

Funnily enough, I was just reading about this online elsewhere literally a minute ago.

There's a lot wrong with racing, but I do think some who follow the game passionately, from my perspective at least, overreact at times.

It's not confined to racing - go on the social media website of any Club knocked out of the League Cup this week because it's a long season, they've got a thin squad, so in a competition they could never win anyway they blooded academy players and got beat, and there will be at least one fan branding the team selection a disgrace and a farce.

The Shergar Cup has plenty wrong with it, agreed %, but it's literally only once a year, it can throw up interesting bets, not every Saturday in the Calendar is going to be Royal Ascot quality and it is six decent Saturday Handicaps.

Ditto the Racing League tbh - lousy team concept, but intriguing racing for a Thursday night.

Ditto the Sunday Series - alright racing for a Sunday.

Where I do agree is the best jockeys already have more lucrative things to do on Shergar Cup Saturday and all these bans do is make those who rode this year at the Shergar Cup in 2025 less likely to come back next year.

They should have known the UK rules and maybe they won't be missed, but getting an international lineup next year might be more difficult than ever.