Shergar Cup: Best Bets For the Big Team Event at Ascot

Saturday afternoon sees something a little different on the racing front as Ascot hosts the biggest team racing event of the season. Boasting an international element of competition and a battle of the sexes flavour – enhanced by an all-female rest-of-the-world team in 2024 – the Shergar Cup never fails to deliver packed grandstands and nail-biting excitement.

Here, using data presented by NewBettingSites.uk, we pick out our best bets in all six races, featuring leading riders from the UK, Ireland, Japan, Australia, Germany, and more.

Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash – Ascot 1:35

The sprinters are first up as the speedballs battle over the minimum 5f trip. Apollo One heads the betting here and certainly arrives in form following his excellent second in the Stewards Cup last weekend. However, a career-high mark and zero from three record over 5f is just enough to put us off.

Thunderbear would be our each-way selection at a big price. The Jack Davison runner is a talented sprinter on his day and hasn’t had his conditions in recent outings, including in a heavy ground 7f contest at Galway last time. Down in trip and on quicker going, he should fare much better.

Overall, the one we like best is the Rod Millman-trained three-year-old Adaay In Devon. Three-year-olds have landed the past two editions of this, and this one has performed consistently well all season. Boasting form figures of 25111 over this trip, his most recent 5f outing saw him land the Listed Scurry Stakes, and he can defy a mark of 104.

• Recommended Bet - Adaay In Devon to win @ 4/1 with BetGoodwin

Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers – Ascot 2:10

From the shortest race of the day to the longest, the stayers lock horns over 2m in race two. Listed-winning hurdler Samui is out on his own at the head of the market for Gordon Elliott here. Two from three in his flat outings, he makes obvious appeal but is only the first reserve for the race at present.

Of those guaranteed to get a run, the Sir Michael Stoute-trained Fox Journey is slipping to a dangerous mark but has been woefully out of sorts in his last three outings and looks risky at a single-figure price.

In a tricky heat, take an each-way chance on the Charlie Johnston-trained Struth. The Johnston yard took the 2022 edition of this with Themaxwecan and is always to be feared in staying handicaps. Struth has been a little hit-and-miss this term but is now 3lb lower than when second in the 2023 November Handicap and may have more to offer as he steps up to this trip for the first time.

• Recommended Bet - Struth each way @ 15/2 with BetGoodwin

Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Challenge – Ascot 2:45

The first of two mile-and-a-half contests on the card is restricted to runners aged four and older and has proved one of the more challenging races to solve in recent years – no winning favourite in the past ten editions.

The William Haggas runner Truthful makes the shortlist here as he drops down from Listed level on his second start of the season, whilst Cracksking could prove dangerous if able to transfer his all-weather form to the turf.

However, the standout out for us is the Alan King-trained Insanity. Making only his fourth start in a turf handicap, he boasts form figures of 112 over this sort of trip and was last sighted finishing second over this course and distance at the back end of July. He’s up 3lb for that, but this race looks a little easier, and he remains open to improvement.

• Recommended Bet - Insanity to win @ 4/1 with QuinnBet

Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint – Ascot 3:20

The first of the three-year-old-only events features a warm favourite in the shape of the Owen Burrows representative Jarraaf. An impressive winner over track and trip in July, he’s the one to beat if repeating that, but is up 8lb and saddled with a bumper 10st1lb here.

The presence of Jarraaf in the field lends a nice each-way shape to the race, and the two to catch our eye are Richard Hannon’s Aramram and Venture Capital from the Kevin Ryan operation. The former looked like a horse to follow when bolting up at Newcastle on his seasonal return and has had excuses since, but Venture Capital just earns the vote.

Raced over 7f+ on his first three outings this season, he failed to trouble the judge – albeit enjoying little luck in two of those outings – but found the drop to 6f to his liking last time out at Ayr. Value for more than the ½l winning margin that day, he should get a good pace to aim at here and can cope with a 5lb rise.

• Recommended Bet - Venture Capital each way @ 12/1 with QuinnBet

Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Classic – Ascot 3:55

In common with the big Classic events of the season, this 1m4f event is restricted to the three-year-olds.

Andrew Balding is no stranger to a winner at this meeting and took this with Berkshire Blue in 2018. Mina Rashid represents the Kingsclere yard this year and looks like a solid option for place purposes. Upsetting the Aidan O’Brien-trained Ephesus on his seasonal return at Chester, he has since bombed out in Group 2 and Group 1 company but should find this steep drop in class more to his liking.

Going Remote is another to note for Jessica Harrington, but the one they all have to beat is Solomon. By Siyouni and out of the Group 1 winning mare Ribbons, this one hasn’t delivered all that may have been hoped for but may be coming good at the right time for this. A big eyecatcher when enjoying no luck in running at York in July, he put that right with an emphatic success at Haydock last time. Turned out quickly, he gets in off an unchanged mark and may prove tough to stop.

• Recommended Bet - Solomon to win @ 13/8 with BetGoodwin

Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Mile – Ascot 4:30

The milers round off the action in a race open to runners aged four and older. With nine of the past ten winners either four or five years of age, it may pay to concentrate on that age bracket ahead of the 2024 edition.

David O’Meara’s New Image is the one the market has latched onto here and arrives in form having finished a close second in the International Stakes last time. If repeating that effort he shouldn’t be far away, but he’s up 3lb despite not winning and steps up to a mile for the first time. At a relatively short price, we will look elsewhere.

Tacarib Bay makes some appeal at a big price but is becoming increasingly difficult to win with, and the each-way vote goes to his stablemate Talis Evolvere. Few tracks are as conducive to a hard-luck story as Goodwood and his ninth-placed effort in the Golden Mile doesn’t tell the whole story. Having missed the break and been blocked in his run, he did very well to go down by just under 5l and should enjoy this more conventional track. A three-time winner at the distance, and 2lb below his career-high mark, he looks like an excellent value bet to at least hit the frame.

• Recommended Bet - Talis Evolvere each way @ 12/1 with Quinnbet

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