Shergar Cup 2026: Saffie Osborne to Captain Team Great Britain & Ireland
This weekend serves up something a little different on the racing front. With the Qatar Goodwood Festival at an end and York’s Ebor Festival on the horizon, focus turns to Ascot for one of the most distinctive single-day fixtures of the season.
Points make prizes at the team-based Shergar Cup, which debuted at Goodwood in 1999 before moving to Ascot in 2000. Looking ahead to this year’s renewal, teams of riders representing Great Britain & Ireland, Europe, the Rest of the World and, new for 2026, Hong Kong, are set to do battle on the Berkshire turf.
This year’s edition received a late boost with the announcement that one of the world’s greatest riders will take his place on the Great Britain & Ireland Team. With a CV overloaded with Group 1 wins, Ryan Moore takes top billing on Shergar Cup Day. However, Moore is but one of 12 jockeys setting out in pursuit of the Shergar Cup (awarded to the winning team) and Silver Saddle (awarded to the top individual rider). Who will come out on top?
Great Britain & Ireland
- Team Colours – Green with white sleeves
- Jockeys – Saffie Osborne (c), Ryan Moore, Dylan Browne McMonagle
The 24-year-old Saffie Osborne takes the captain’s armband for the hosts. The daughter of trainer Jamie Osborne makes her second Shergar Cup appearance having registered a double in her 2023 debut. In hot form, following a treble on King George Day and two winners at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, she will hope to hit the target once again.
Twenty years on from his first, and only, Shergar Cup appearance, Ballydoyle number one Ryan Moore also arrives at Ascot at the top of his game. Already sitting on 11 Group 1 wins for 2026, Ryan topped the jockey standings at last week’s Qatar Goodwood Festival. If he repeats his Silver Saddle-winning performance of 2006, the 42-year-old may help propel the home team to top spot.
Alongside Moore, Dylan Browne McMonagle was one of the last names confirmed in 2026. Like Moore, the 23-year-old Irishman is enjoying an electric season. Just behind Moore with four winners at the Qatar Goodwood Festival, McMonagle registered a Classic double with famous victories in the English and Irish Oaks. The reigning Irish champion jockey makes his Shergar Cup debut in 2026.
Hong Kong Jockey Club
- Team Colours – Blue with yellow sleeves
- Jockeys – Vincent Ho (c), Jerry Chau, Luke Ferraris
Appearing for the first time in 2026, the Hong Kong Jockey Club team are captained by one of Hong Kong’s greatest riders. One of only two homegrown jockeys to surpass 600 wins in Hong Kong, Ho will forever be associated with the legendary 11-time Group 1 winner Golden Sixty. He makes his second Shergar Cup appearance having lifted the trophy as part of the Rest of the World team in 2019.
One of the rising stars of Hong Kong racing, Jerry Chau broke the record for the number of winners by an apprentice in 2020/21. Now a regular at the major Hong Kong tracks of Happy Valley and Sha Tin, he makes his Shergar Cup debut in 2026.
South African-born Luke Ferraris completes the Hong Kong trio. Luke is the son of David Ferraris and grandson of Ormond Ferraris, both of whom enjoyed significant success as trainers. Before moving to Hong Kong, Luke was a dual winner of the South African Champion Apprentice title and won the South African triple crown with Malmoos in 2021. Like Chau, he makes his Shergar Cup debut.
Europe
- Team Colours – Red with white sleeves
- Jockeys – Christophe Lemaire (c), Marie Velon, Frida Valle Skar
The 47-year-old Frenchman Christophe Lemaire captains Team Europe. A six-time champion jockey in Japan, Lemaire has over 100 Group/Grade 1 triumphs to his name, including wins in the 1,000 and 2,000 Guineas, Hong Kong Cup and Melbourne Cup. Despite that success, Lemaire failed to ride a winner in his two previous Shergar Cup appearances.
Lemaire is joined by two of Europe’s most talented female riders. Also hailing from France, Marie Velon became the first French female jockey to ride the winner of a Group 1, when partnering Iresine to victory in the 2022 Prix Royal-Oak. Marie makes her second Shergar Cup appearance, having been part of the successful Ladies team in 2024.
Frida Valle Skar is set to make history as the first Norwegian rider to appear at the Shergar Cup. Now 27 years old, Frida moved to France at 18 to pursue her riding dream. She heads to Ascot on the back of a career-best 2025, which included a standout success in the German 1,000 Guineas.
Rest of the World
- Team Colours – Yellow with white sleeves
- Jockeys – Jamie Melham (c), Yutaka Take, Suraj Narredu
Previously appearing under her maiden name of Jamie Kah in 2019, Jamie Melham returns to captain the Rest of the World team in 2026. In 2020/21, Jamie became the first rider in history – male or female – to register 100 wins in a Melbourne metropolitan season. Then in 2025, she claimed a first for a female rider when winning both the Cox Plate and the Melbourne Cup.
Still going strong at 57, Yutaka Take is widely recognised as the greatest jockey in the history of Japanese racing. Moving past the 5,000 career wins mark in 2026, he has won at least one graded race every year since 1987. Easily the most experienced Shergar Cup rider on show, Take will be making his ninth appearance at the fixture in 2026.
From a family of jockeys, Narredu followed in the footsteps of his uncle Mallesh Narredu (who appeared at the 2009 edition) when making his debut at the 2025 Shergar Cup. The 41-year-old made an excellent start, becoming the first Indian jockey to ride a winner at Ascot and captaining Team Asia to top spot on the podium.
The Shergar Cup takes place at Ascot on Saturday, with all six races shown live on ITV Racing.