Joanna Mason replaces Saffie Osborne as Shergar Cup riders are announced

Joanna Mason will make her second appearance at the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot on Saturday, having been announced as a replacement for Saffie Osborne.

Osborne had initially been named as part of the three-strong Ladies Team, but on Tuesday morning she had to pull out due to other riding commitments and Mason was called up.

Ascot racecourse revealed the news on X, saying: "Due to other riding commitments on Saturday, Saffie Osborne will no longer be competing in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup. She will be replaced by Joanna Mason. Welcome to the Ladies Team @jomason90!"

Mason will join forces with the Shergar Cup's all-time leading rider Hayley Turner, who returns for a record-extending 17th appearance to captain a Ladies team that also features French jockey Marie Velon.

Teenage riding sensation Billy Loughnane is set to make his debut at the Shergar Cup, where there will be an even split of male and female jockeys for the first time.

The 18-year-old, who continued his meteoric rise by partnering two winners at Royal Ascot in June, will ride for Great Britain and Ireland with captain Tadhg O'Shea and Seamie Heffernan.

In a change to the points-based jockey competition this year, the Rest of the World team will be made up entirely of female riders alongside a Ladies team, as Ascot officials aim to settle on a new permanent format for 2025.

The Rest of the World team comprises Australian-based British rider Rachel King, South Africa's only professional female jockey Rachel Venniker and Nanako Fujita from Japan.

Bauryrzhan Murzabayev, the Kazakhstan-born multiple champion in Germany, captains the Europe team made up of Jose-Luis Borrego from Spain and Italian Alberto Sanna.

A record £500,000 will be available in prize-money across the six-race programme along with £25,000 in stable bonuses to be split between the three leading yards.

Nick Smith, director of racing and public affairs at Ascot, said: "We are thrilled with the line-up this year for the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup which has a really strong international flavour with nine countries represented.

"To have secured some top-class jockeys, including the star of the moment Billy Loughnane, and international Group 1-winning jockeys Rachel King and Marie Velon is testament to the strength of the event. The Ladies team has proven incredibly successful, both on the track and with our racegoers, so we’re delighted to be able to invite three more female jockeys to the Rest of the World team this year."

Shergar Cup 2024 teams

Europe
Bauryrzhan Murzabayev (captain)
Jose-Luis Borrego
Alberto Sanna

Ladies
Hayley Turner (c)
Marie Velon
Joanna Mason

Rest of the World
Rachel King (c)
Rachel Venniker
Nanako Fujita

Great Britain and Ireland
Tadhg O'Shea (c)
Seamie Heffernan
Billy Loughnane

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