It took a
while to win friends and influence people, but today's Dubai Duty Free Shergar
Cup at Ascot is now an accepted part of the racing calendar.
Proof of
that can be gleaned from digestion of today's British press and the words
written by seasoned journalists, many of whom took a while to embrace the
concept. It remains a fact that team competitions in horse racing can never
emulate those in other sports, but the event's steady annual appearance, its
ability to attract great riders from around the world, and its refusal to take
itself too seriously has proved irrepressible.
Chris
McGrath, writing in The Independent, sums up the its status, saying it
"has earned a legitimate niche in the racing summer". He adds:
"Trainers are happy to trade control over their choice of rider for the
chance to contest some very good prize money."
Trainer
Andrew Balding conveys his passion for the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup by
running four horses in it, but also in his Daily Mirror column. He
writes: "The Shergar Cup may be the ultimate in 'Marmite' events for
racing professionals, but I love it." Eulogising further, Balding notes
"you get £500 just for turning up" if your horse is a reserve.
'The
Couch' aka Mark Winstanley, refers to the card as "Billy Smart's circus
meets horse racing", in the Star, but questioning whether the
assembled "foreign jockeys" will handle "this tricky track"
smacks of jingoism. They are world class, and Ascot is not Aintree.
Bookie
Barry Dennis airs his views in the Sun, saying today's meeting
"brings out the feminist in me". He explains that by tipping the
girls' team to win, but admits he does not expect to make a bumper profit as a
layer, writing: "It's a spectacle, a family day out and they put on a good
show."
Every
year one Shergar Cup rider captures the media and public imagination, and that
role has befallen American Rosie Napravnik. She discusses life with The
Guardian'sGreg Wood - he reveals 98% of America's top 100 jockeys are male
- and the Racing Post'sNick Godfrey, to whom she admits an ulterior
motive for taking part today. Joel Rosario missed the Royal Ascot ride on
Animal Kingdom because of his lack of knowledge of the course, and Napravnik
wants to avoid that hurdle should it arise in future.
Vying for
top spot in pre-race publicity is Napravnik's compatriot Gary Stevens, who
discusses the event's importance to young racegoers with J A McGrath in The
Daily Telegraph. Going racing as a young boy, Stevens was handed a set of
goggles by a jockey, "a gesture that changed my life", he says.
"From that moment I wanted to be a jockey."
The
50-year-old also admits concern at riding in five races - young racegoers
should make a note and offer to carry his goggles, and possibly whip, if he
looks tired walking back.
The Times' Andy
Stephens also picks up on a Stevens quote that refers to cricket, a sport with
which he clearly has no understanding. "Any game where they stop for tea
and crumpets halfway through is not a sport," says the American. Maybe,
but at least it gives the England team a breather against the resurgent
Australians.
Not that
you need to buy a newspaper to get up to speed on the world's premier team and
international jockeys' event, for Ascot's racecard has all the
information and more. That includes a handy scorecard (p.21), a table and
photographs of past Silver Saddle winners (p.25), a rundown on the post-race,
six-acts, music marathon (p.11), and a useful guide to Ascot's eating and
drinking venues (p. 6 & 7).
'Pie
& Pint' is one £5 option in the Shergar Bar, but did you know the course
also has "a brand new eatery" called 'Bangers & Bubbles'?
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