The Shergar Cup is back and it's bigger and more valuable than ever

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In Monday's email Chris reflects on the return of the Shergar Cup – and subscribers can get more great insight, tips and racing chat from Chris every Monday to Friday.

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The Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup gets a mixed response from racing's established supporters but the Front Runner has long seen the fun in this unusual fixture. So it's great to be able to bring you the news that there is even more of it to love this year: more jockeys, more races, more runners and more prize-money will feature when the event is staged on August 6.

One of the key attractions for me is the chance to see big-name jockeys from around the world competing with each other in circumstances where they should all get a chance to catch the eye at some point. Inevitably, there is an advantage to the local jockeys, who are familiar with the track and some of the horses, but each year one or two of the visitors prove able to rise above the adversity they face and get their moment of Ascot glory.

Could that be Rene Piechulek this time? He's the guy who won the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe on his first ride in the race, aboard Torquator Tasso, the pair of them defying odds of 72-1 last autumn. Piechulek, who has never ridden in Britain, will be in the European team at this Shergar Cup, alongside Frankie Dettori, Antonio Fresu and Jose-Luis Martinez, nine times the champion jockey of Spain.

"I'm looking forward to it," says Dettori, taking part for the first time in six years. "I love Ascot and it's always a great day so I hope people put it in their diary and come along to have a good time and enjoy something a bit different."

And that's just the beginning of the international flavour added to the competition this year. The expanded format allows for 16 jockeys rather than the usual dozen and they are drawn from ten different countries.

You might remember the days when Christophe Lemaire was known for his uncanny knack of winning Group 1s on the Rowley Mile; there was the 2,000 Guineas (Makfi), the 1,000 Guineas (Natagora), consecutive runnings of the Champion Stakes (Pride, Literato) and the Cheveley Park (Natagora again). These days, he's big in Japan, as is Takeshi Yokoyama, who will be in the Rest of the World team along with him.

Their teammates will be Kerrin McEvoy from Australia and the New Zealander Jason Collett. McEvoy is a three-time winner of the Melbourne Cup who was a prominent rider in Britain for five seasons from 2004 before returning home. Collett is evidently on his way up the ladder, having scored three top-class wins this year. This will be his British debut.

The Ladies team is always popular and is sure to be so again, with its familiar line-up of Hayley Turner, Hollie Doyle, Nicola Currie and Emma-Jayne Wilson. Currie won the Silver Saddle for top rider at last year's Shergar Cup, helping the team to the third of its successes.

Turner, who has scored way more points than anyone else in the event's history, will be appearing for the 15th time. Doyle's star has rocketed since her last appearance in 2018. Wilson returns with her charismatic swagger for the first time in five years.

That leaves only the team you should probably be cheering for, Britain and Ireland. The line-up of local jockeys can sometimes depend on where their employers would like them to be that day but for now we are promised: Jamie Spencer, Danny Tudhope, Neil Callan and Kieran Shoemark. Spencer has quietly racked up 145 points at various Shergar Cups, just five less than Dettori; I think he must be a secret fan of the event.

Spectator numbers have been down at quite a few summer fixtures, so it will be interesting to see if the Shergar Cup can once more do its trick of drawing a crowd to rival King George day, with lots more family groups than you would usually see at the races. (The post-racing concert obviously helps but in my experience the crowd arrives in plenty of time for the first.)

They will get more action than they're used to, with eight races rather than six this time and 12 runners in each race rather than ten. A total of £550,000 will be dished out in prize-money, which is paid to tenth place, while the 11th and 12th finishers will get appearance money. New for this year is a series of bonus payments to the trainers and staff of the three stables that fare best on the day.

All in all, Ascot's bit of summer fun seems set to be a success again and I hope to be there. If you're among those who refuse to enthuse, there are seven other cards across Britain and Ireland that day...

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The Front Runner is our latest email newsletter available exclusively to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Chris Cook, a four-time Racing Reporter of the Year award winner, provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday