
India's Narredu to spearhead Asia's charge in historic Shergar Cup revamp at Ascot
Suraj Narredu, one of India's most decorated jockeys, is set to make history once again — this time as captain of the newly formed Asia Team in the 2025 Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup at Ascot Racecourse.
The multiple-time Indian champion, whose name has long been synonymous with excellence on the subcontinent's racing scene, will be making his Shergar Cup debut in this year's edition — and not just as a participant, but as the man leading the charge for the first-ever Asia Team.
The team makes its debut this year, replacing the long-running Ladies Team, as the Shergar Cup embraces a new chapter that celebrates international diversity and gender equality.
Joining Narredu in Team Asia's red silks are Japanese sensation Ryusei Sakai — currently one of the most recognisable names in global racing thanks to his partnership with the world's highest-rated horse, Forever Young — and fellow countryman Mirai Iwata, the 2023 World All-Star Jockeys champion.
Crowning Moment
For Narredu, the appointment as captain is more than symbolic. It's a culmination of an extraordinary career that has seen him amass over 2,400 wins worldwide, including 54 Group 1 victories — an astonishing 36 of which were Derby titles.
He was just 25 when he became the fastest Indian jockey to reach 1,000 career wins, and his success has taken him far beyond the Indian turf, with stints in Dubai, Australia, Ireland, France, the United States, Malaysia, Mauritius, and Macau.
'This is more than just a race meeting for me,' said Narredu. 'To represent Asia, and to lead a team with such incredible talent like Ryusei and Mirai, is truly an honour. The Shergar Cup has always been a standout event, and this new format only raises the bar.'
The 2025 edition of the Shergar Cup, taking place on Saturday, August 9, will once again be staged at the iconic Ascot Racecourse and will feature six high-calibre handicap races with a total prize pool of £500,000, along with £25,000 in stable bonuses.
Racing Meets Regional Rivalry
In a format that breaks away from the conventional mould of racing, jockeys will compete in Ryder Cup-style teams based on geographical regions, with points accumulated across the races to determine the overall champions.
Dubai Duty Free's title sponsorship of the event is also continued for a 20th year.
"Back in 2009, my uncle Malesh Narredu made history as the first Indian jockey to ride in the prestigious Shergar Cup, representing the Rest of the World team,' said Suraj. 'I had the incredible opportunity to travel with him and witness it firsthand."
Narredu's appointment is also a landmark moment for Indian racing on the world stage. While horses from the sub-continent have yet to make consistent inroads internationally, Narredu's selection as captain is a nod to the country's deep pool of riding talent and its growing influence in the global racing circuit.
Other star names set to feature include Hollie Doyle, the trailblazing and history-making British jockey who will lead the Great Britain & Ireland team, and Mauritian ace Karis Teetan, captain of the Rest of the World team. The European team will be led by ten-time Swedish champion Per-Anders Gråberg, returning to Ascot for his first Shergar Cup appearance since 2018.
New Format Hailed
Nick Smith, Director of Racing and Public Affairs at Ascot, hailed the evolution of the event: 'We feel now is the time to move away from a ladies-only team, and this new evolution of the format keeps the event fresh.'
'We're pleased to have secured top talent from across the world to compete at the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup with at least eight different countries set to be represented already.
'We feel now is the time to move away from a ladies-only team, and this new evolution of the format keeps the event fresh.'
With the inclusion of a concert and party following the races the Shergar Cup continues to blend top-tier sport with entertainment, drawing a diverse and enthusiastic crowd.
Riding for a Legacy
But for Narredu, it's not just the spotlight that matters — it's the colours he'll wear and the legacy he's creating.
'Wearing the red silks of Asia, riding alongside two world-class jockeys, and captaining this team at a venue as iconic as Ascot… it's a dream,' he said. 'I'll be riding not just for myself, but for Indian racing and for everyone who has supported my journey.'
As the Shergar Cup embraces its boldest reinvention yet, it seems only fitting that a trailblazer like Narredu takes centre stage.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Gulf Today
17 hours ago
- Gulf Today
NASCAR goes south of the border to grow fan base with its 1st Cup Series race in Mexico City
NASCAR's first international Cup Series race of the modern era is all about the eyeballs, specifically new fans in the Mexico City market. NASCAR will be on the track Friday for the first of three days of racing at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez, one of the most popular stops on the Formula 1 calendar and Ben Kennedy's newest project. The great-grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., Kennedy has taken the family business beyond its comfortable confines before. Kennedy in 2022 moved the preseason exhibition Clash from its longtime home at Daytona International Speedway in Florida to a temporary track built inside Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Kennedy this year moved the Clash to The Madhouse - the historic Bowman Gray Stadium, which had last hosted a Cup race in 1971, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. NASCAR under Kennedy also returned to North Wilkesboro Speedway in North Carolina for the first time since 1977 when the All-Star race was moved there three years ago. He allowed dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway, a hybrid road course and oval at Charlotte Motor Speedway, alongside his biggest undertaking: NASCAR's first street race, held in downtown Chicago. The Hooligans Flight Team performs a flyover during pre-race ceremonies prior to the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, on Sunday. AFP He also had his eyes set on expanding internationally, which will come Sunday with the first points-paying international race in the Cup Series since 1958. It is only third time in 77 years that NASCAR's top series will run an event that counts in the championship outside the United States. The last two times were in Canada; the Cup Series also has held exhibitions in Japan and Australia. "Our biggest opportunity to grow as a sport is international,' Kennedy said when he announced Mexico City was replacing one of the two races on the schedule allocated to Richmond International Raceway. "The U.S. is always going to be our mainstay and our next opportunity was to expand internationally," he said. "We said we've wanted to do this for a long time, but also needed to make sure it was the right time, the right partners and the right location. Mexico City checked every box. To be in one of the biggest cities globally - over 20 million people that live in the city - is a massive opportunity for us to bring the sport.' The weekend includes the second-tier Xfinity Series and the NASCAR Mexico Series. It's a strong return to a market that devours the entire F1 weekend ticket package within an hour of them becoming available. Mexicans have proven to be rabid motorsports fans but haven't gotten a chance to see NASCAR's big names since 2008, the final year of a four-year run of Xfinity races. Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Martin Truex Jr. were winners during the four-year stretch. Daniel Suarez, the former Xfinity champion and native of Monterrey, is NASCAR's face of the event. He raced the circuit 13 times with a different layout in the NASCAR Mexico Series, and three of Suarez's starts were wins. William Byron, driver of the #24 Raptor Chevrolet, and Michael McDowell, driver of the #71 Delaware Life Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Michigan, on Sunday. AFP "I'm super excited for the event. I'm super excited to live the moment because the first time is going to only happen once,' Suarez said. "I'm really trying to be as present as possible, enjoy the moment and try to execute the best possible weekend that we can. We know that we are capable of winning the race, but that's not the goal. The goal is the execution of the entire weekend, and hopefully the win is the result of the execution part.' The planning that has gone into Mexico City, one of 38 events on the Cup schedule, began about a year ago. NASCAR has worked on myriad details, beginning with how to get nearly 200 trucks hauling race cars and equipment from Michigan International Speedway into Mexico City. NASCAR official Tom Bryant has spearheaded the organizational logistics and made multiple trips to the border crossing in Laredo, Texas, to meet with customs officials from both nations. The drive from Michigan to Mexico City is about 40 hours, not including the tedious customs crossing, where all the equipment and tools on every NASCAR hauler must be documented on an exhaustive manifest. Cup Series teams cars were scheduled for a Monday night arrival at Laredo, with crossing scheduled for Tuesday and arrival at the track on Thursday. "It's been a ton of coordination moving lots of people and lots of stuff safely and efficiently across a great distance and an international border,' Bryant said on the "Hauler Talk' NASCAR podcast. "There is a lot to it, but the key to it is you just have to define the problem. We've got to get these people and these things from this point to that point within a certain time period," he said. "How do we do it in a way that's going to best position us to be ready to go to work as soon as we hit the ground down there? Because this is a pretty tight window.' Associated Press


Al Etihad
a day ago
- Al Etihad
Young badminton players do UAE proud in Spain
10 June 2025 00:15 KUUMAR SHYAM (ABU DHABI)The teen members of the UAE Junior badminton team notched memorable performances while representing the country over the weekend in Alicante, Spain.A haul of five medals – two golds, two silvers and one bronze – at the Spanish International Under-19 Championship at the Pabellon Municipal Centre courts propelled the UAE to dominate the podium in three out of the five categories and finished ahead of badminton powerhouses such as Germany, Thailand, and the Men's Singles, days after turning 15, Riyan Malhan overcame some nervous moments but moved from strength to strength against higher-ranked and older opponents before eventually taking the gold in a proud achievement for the Dubai-born Indian teen."Winning the Spanish International U19 is a dream come true," said Malhan in a message from Spain. "I'm grateful to my coaches, teammates, and the UAE Badminton Federation for believing in me. This is just the beginning – I'll keep working harder to make my country proud on the world stage."The prodigy had also made history last year by becoming the first player from the UAE and West Asia to clinch a medal, bronze, at the Badminton Asia U17 & U15 Junior Championships in Chengdu, China. His father was a state-level player in India before moving to the UAE many years back as an this is not enough, there is more promising talent in the pipeline as was evident when his compatriot, Adam Jeslin, who is yet to turn 15, showcased equal resilience and skill to earn the silver medal behind the Women's Singles, there was familiarity on the honours board where Prakriti Bharath lived up to her second-seed billing with an emphatic, undefeated run to defend her title."Standing on top of the podium means more than just a win; it is a reward for every early morning and every tough training session. I'm proud to represent the UAE and hope this inspires more girls back home to chase their badminton dreams," Prakriti said on her successive title from the Spanish tournament. In doing so, she overcame her teammate Mysha Omer in the finals, who fought valiantly to bring home the to the medal count, the new pairing of Jeslin and Omer, 17, brought home a respectable bronze in the Mixed Doubles category, given their ages and mixed experience. Omer had won the women's doubles bronze last year with Taaiba with the raw talent of Jeslin, the experienced Omer still had to impress to stun the second-seeded German pair of Alexander Zhang and Aurelia Wulandoko though they could not prevent the latter from taking the silver. The UAE mixed pair then bowed out from the semi-final stage, losing to the eventual champions and Thailand's siblings, Tonkid Saeheng and Tonrug marked improvement in the performances is a reflection of the robust infrastructure and vision laid out by the UAE Badminton High-Performance Department, led by Michael Norbek as Performance Director. With strategic support from the UAE Ministry of Sports and development programmes such as "Road to Dakar 2026" and "Pathway to Los Angeles 2028", UAE's young shuttlers are firmly stepping onto the global stage. "To stand atop the medal tally in a field that includes Europe's and Asia's finest is a proud moment for UAE badminton. These results reflect our belief that excellence is achievable with the right support and hard work," a statement from UAE Badminton Federation President Noura Al Jasmi said. Source: Aletihad - Abu Dhabi


Gulf Today
a day ago
- Gulf Today
MP Priya reflects on three-year wait before engagement to Rinku, says it was worth every second
Samajwadi Party MP Priya Saroj took to social media to post a heartwarming message after getting engaged to Indian cricketer Rinku Singh and reflected on the long road they had to take to get here. The engagement took place on Sunday in Lucknow with their wedding date locked in for November 18 at the Taj Hotel in Varanasi. "This day has been in our hearts for so long — almost three years — and the wait was worth every second. Engaged — with full hearts and a forever to go," posted Priya Saroj on her 'X' account. Besides the families of Rinku and Priya, several prominent leaders, including Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Dimple Yadav, Jaya Bachchan along with Ram Gopal Yadav and Shivpal Yadav, attended the ceremony. Board of Control of Cricket India (BCC) vice-president Rajeev Shukla was also present at the ceremony to extend his best wishes to the couple. However, several of Rinku's teammates couldn't make it to his engagement celebration, as the Indian Test squad has already departed for England ahead of the Test series starting June 20. Former India cricketer Praveen Kumar was in attendance and extended his heartfelt wishes to the couple on their special day. Rinku Singh, Priya Saroj with family members and friends during their engagement ceremony. Photo / X Rinku, hailing from Aligarh, has played two ODIs and 33 T20Is for India in the last couple of years and is an important member of the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, who lifted the title in the 2024 season. The 26-year-old Priya is a first-time MP from Jaunpur's Machhlishahr constituency. Priya, a practising advocate, is known for her legal acumen and youthful energy. She is among India's youngest MPs. Hailing from Karkhiyaon village in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi, she has continued her father's legacy with her career in politics. Her father, Tufani Saroj, is a three-time MP and current MLA from UP's Kerakat. Priya began her career as a politician in 2024 after she was elected as the MP of Machhlishahr after defeating BJP veteran BP Saroj by over 35,000 votes. Indo-Asian News Service