Hong Kong Jockey Club Team Finishes Runner-Up in First Shergar Cup Appearance
AM730 · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
The Hong Kong Jockey Club made history by fielding its first representative team in the Shergar Cup International Jockeys' Challenge at Ascot Racecourse in Britain, with the squad captained by Vincent Ho Chak-yiu and comprising Jerry Chau Chun-lok and Harry Bentley . The team finished as runners-up to the Great Britain and Ireland squad, which featured four-time Longines World's Best Jockey Ryan Moore .
Key Points
- The Hong Kong team, named "Team Hong Kong," comprised captain Vincent Ho Chak-yiu, Jerry Chau Chun-lok, and Harry Bentley, who grew up in Hong Kong though born in South Africa .
- The Shergar Cup is a team competition where each of three jockeys per team earns points for their squad across six races, with the top five finishers in each race contributing to the cumulative total .
- Jerry Chau opened the competition by winning the first 1,000-meter sprint aboard "Hot Boss," with teammate Vincent Ho finishing second on "Venus Hero," giving Hong Kong a 1-2 start .
- Harry Bentley captured the second race, a 3,190-meter stamina test on "Parisian Dancer," and was subsequently named the Shergar Cup's top jockey of the day .
- The Great Britain and Ireland team, led by Ryan Moore, won three consecutive races to overtake Hong Kong, ultimately securing the title while Hong Kong tied with "Team Europe" on 62 points but took second place on countback of wins .
Why It Matters
The Jockey Club's shift from sending individual locally-trained jockeys to fielding an official team signals Hong Kong's growing ambition to raise its international profile in flat racing beyond its home circuit. For Hong Kong racing fans, the result demonstrates that local talent can compete at Ascot's uniquely undulating course, which Jerry Chau noted differs fundamentally from Hong Kong's flat all-weather tracks .
The Jockey Club's shift from sending individual locally-trained jockeys to fielding an official team signals Hong Kong's growing ambition to raise its international profile in flat racing beyond its home circuit. For Hong Kong racing fans, the result demonstrates that local talent can compete at Ascot's uniquely undulating course, which Jerry Chau noted differs fundamentally from Hong Kong's flat all-weather tracks .