Ascot plays host to a bumper Saturday of Flat racing, with the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup taking centre stage alongside a competitive card at Lingfield Park, all live on Sky Sports Racing.
This year's renewal marks the 25th running of the Shergar Cup and, according to Ascot's official preview, it will be the first staged under the World Pool banner. The card comprises six races in total, with the opener off at 13:35 BST.
Four teams do battle this year - Great Britain & Ireland, Europe, Rest of the World and the Hong Kong Jockey Club - each fielding three riders, as confirmed by Ascot's preview. Points are awarded on a 15-10-7-5-3 basis to the first five home in each race, with the top-scoring jockey collecting the Alistair Haggis Silver Saddle at the end of the day.
Notably, Ryan Moore is back among the team riders for the first time since 2006, per Sky Sports - a notable return given his pedigree and the calibre of rides he takes across the afternoon.
4.30 Ascot - Ebt's Guard and Cerulean Bay catch the eye in the Mile
The card closes with the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Mile, a genuine cracker featuring ten runners including the consistent pair Ebt's Guard and Cerulean Bay.
William Muir and Chris Grassick send out Ebt's Guard, who endured a difficult passage when beaten at Goodwood last time but has previously shown real affinity for Ascot, with placed efforts to his name in both the Royal Hunt Cup and the Balmoral Handicap.
Cerulean Bay carries top weight for trainer David O'Meara under jockey Jamie Melham. The horse ran on strongly to finish second in the Goodwood Mile last weekend, and connections will hope for another bold showing from just a pound higher in the ratings.
Two Tribes is an intriguing contender stepping up in trip to a mile having been slowly away at Goodwood last time out, and the booking of Dylan Browne McMonagle adds further appeal. Ascot's own preview also names Bullet Point among those to note in the closing contest, according to Sky Sports.
1.35 Ascot - Tuco Salamanca and Bolo Neighs headline the Dash
The action kicks off with a fiercely competitive Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Dash in which Tuco Salamanca and Bolo Neighs look set to attract plenty of interest.
Bolo Neighs represents an obvious choice for Team Europe with Christophe Lemaire on board. The Ralph Beckett-trained four-year-old has been beaten only narrowly in his last two starts at this course, and a clean break should see him in among the frame once again.
Tuco Salamanca, ridden by Jerry Chau for the newly-formed Hong Kong team, poses a significant threat.
Spartan Arrow has been booked for Ryan Moore, and having run solidly at Goodwood, he drops a few more pounds in the weights for this assignment.
3.55 Ascot - Hoseki bids for four-timer with Saffie Osborne aboard
Saffie Osborne takes the plum ride on William Haggas's Hoseki, who chases a fourth successive win in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Classic.
The daughter of Saxon Warrior has been in fine form this season, winning all three of her starts to date including a victory over this exact course and distance last month. Despite a five-pound hike in the weights, there may well be more improvement to come.
Blue Hercules remains without a win from five starts but continues to progress with racing experience, and having run a cracker to finish runner-up at this venue last time out, he should again be firmly involved under Melham.
Each-way hopefuls include Royal Poetry and Ohara, while Ryan Moore takes the ride on Archers Bay.
Best of the rest
11.37 Saratoga - Grade One Whitney Stakes - Magnitude, Sovereignty and Baeza feature among a cracking eight.
9.36 Saratoga - Grade One Test Stakes with Percy's Bar, Movie Night and Explora involved.
10.14 Saratoga - Fourstardave Stakes where Deterministic will be fancied for Miguel Clement.
10.52 Saratoga - Grade One Saratoga Derby with Title Role and Pacific Avenue in action. Glacius represents Hugo Palmer.
7.10 Lingfield - Novice where Saffron Bay and Kanzi feature among seven runners.
2.10 Ascot - Shergar Cup Stayers with Dancing In Paris and Shrimp Shandy likely types.
2.45 Ascot - Shergar Cup Challenge where last year's winner Night Breeze features.
3.20 Ascot - Shergar Cup Sprint - Thunder Call among the favourites.
12.58 Deauville - Group Three where William Haggas runs Tenability.
1.33 Deauville - Good Listed race - The Crisfords' Social Symbol and Drazinda declared.
4.07 Deauville - Listed again with Poker involved for Amo.
4.42 Deauville - Listed affair where Britain are well represented.
Team competition history
Last year's Shergar Cup was won by Asia, who edged out Europe 68 points to 67, with Great Britain and Ireland finishing third on 62 and Rest of the World fourth on 55, according to Sky Sports. Hugh Bowman claimed the Silver Saddle as leading rider in that 2025 renewal.
The fixture also continues to grow in popularity - Ascot's 2025 Shergar Cup crowd reached 24,701, the meeting's largest attendance since 2018, as reported by the Racing Post.
Ascot has also been in the news recently for its King George showdown, where Calandagan and Masquerade Ball led a strong field alongside Mezcala, Extremely Zain and Touleen on a busy Saturday card earlier in the summer.
What happens next
Racegoers can expect the action to continue beyond the finish line, with Ascot confirming a live open-air music concert after racing, according to Racing Ahead. The post-racing entertainment will feature performances from Blue, B*Witched and Boyzlife, as detailed by Racing Better.
Final declarations and going conditions are expected to be confirmed ahead of racing, with the entire six-race card broadcast live on Sky Sports Racing throughout the afternoon.
