Hughes steps in for Shergar duty

Jockey Richard Hughes will replace Richard Quinn in the HOK Design Team Great Britain & Ireland in the Blue Square Shergar Cup at Ascot.

Quinn has been claimed by his main retainer Henry Cecil to ride at another meeting on Saturday.

'Richard Hughes is a top-class jockey and we're grateful to him for agreeing to take over from Richard Quinn,' said Nick Smith, head of public relations at Ascot.

'Frankie Dettori has to go to Deauville but the plus side is that we've got a new high-profile name on show in Andreas Suborics, and that's what the event is all about.'

Snooker star John Parrott manages the home side which will be captained Kieren Fallon with Pat Eddery, Kevin Darley, Michael Kinane and Johnny Murtagh completing the team.

In the absence of Dettori, who rides Sakhee for Godolphin at Deauville on Saturday, David Flores steps in as captain of the Dubai Duty Free Rest of the World team, to be managed by former champion jockey Michael Roberts.

As well as Suborics, Flores's other teammates are Gerard Mosse, Craig Williams, Doug Whyte and Hiroki Goto.

Trainers have given the thumbs up to the Shergar Cup with a total of 178 horses standing their ground for the six races at today's confirmation stage.

There were a massive 406 entries no doubt tempted by free entry, prize money totalling #335,000 and cash all the way to 10th and last place in each race.

But there are likely to be plenty of disappointed connections as each race will be cut down to 10 at Thursday's 48-hour final declaration stage.

Beauchamp Pilot stands out among 34 confirmations for the opening Moss Bros Shergar Cup Mile.

Gerard Butler's four-year-old, a course winner over 10 furlongs recently, missed last week's William Hill Mile at Goodwood to wait for this Rated Stakes Handicap.

The British Red Cross Shergar Cup Juvenile still has the largest number of possibles with 44 left in. Mark Johnston with seven and Richard Hannon with six are the trainers with the most entries.

Hannon's team includes Tacitus, owned by the Royal Ascot Racing Club, and Puma, unbeaten in three starts for Highclere Thoroughbred Racing.

John Wainwright's sprinter Vita Spericolata, winner of the Listed Queensferry Stakes at Chester on Sunday for the second successive year, is among 25 to accept for the Porthault Shergar Cup Distaff - a rated handicap over six furlongs.

Royston trainer John Jenkins landed a double at this fixture 12 months ago with Moon Emperor and Thundering Surf and both horses are being aimed at their respective races.

Moon Emperor is one of 25 left in the Millennium Hotels And Resorts Shergar Cup over an extended two miles which features the sole Irish entry for the entire meeting, Dermot Weld's Direct Bearing.

Twenty-five also remain in the mile and a half Carvill Shergar Cup Challenge in which Thundering Surf could be taken on by Mana d'Argent, the horse he short-headed in the corresponding race last August.

Feet So Fast, who missed the Vodafone Stewards' Cup at Goodwood last weekend because there was not enough cut in the ground, is among 25 left in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint.

This six furlongs conditions event that concludes the day's racing is the most valuable on the card with #50,000 to the winner.

Ascot expressed delight following the publication of the confirmations.

'We're extremely pleased with the number of horses in each of the races,' said Smith.

'All the races look like being high quality affairs and it's interesting to see Feet So Fast is in the #100,000 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Sprint, having missed the Stewards' Cup at the weekend.

'It's over to the British Horseracing Board now to decide the order of the cut for the juvenile and we're all looking forward to the new draw format on Thursday, where managers will actually pick their horses.

'John Parrott and Michael Roberts take the respective managerial roles and they know racing inside out so it will be interesting to see who outthinks who.'

Blue Square have openedbooks on two of the races.

Shergar Cup Distaff: 9-2 Proud Boast, Impressive Flight, 5-1 Torosay Spring, 11-2 Bright Edge, 6-1 Vita Spericolata, 7-1 Flying Millie, 8-1 Lady Links, Bandanna, 9-1 Forever Times, 10-1 bar.

Shergar Cup Stayers: 4-1 Random Quest, 9-2 Riyadh, Moon Emperor, 6-1 Cupboard Lover, Hugs Dancer, Mana d'Argent, 7-1 Caqui d'Or, Taffrail, 8-1 Grenhope, Direct Bearing, 10-1 bar.