Team Hong Kong name Shergar Cup representatives
Emerging stars Jerry Chau and Luke Ferraris have been selected to join Vincent Ho on the international stage at Ascot on Saturday, August 8, when the talented trio will represent Team Hong Kong in the prestigious Shergar Cup and compete against some of the world’s premier jockeys.
Chau and Ferraris, two of the most gifted young riders in the world, were announced by The Hong Kong Jockey Club as Ho’s team-mates on Saturday, in what is horse racing’s equivalent of golf’s illustrious Ryder Cup competition.
Representing Team Hong Kong, Ho, Chau and Ferraris will vie against a host of champion jockeys representing Great Britain & Ireland, Europe and the Rest of the World at one of the most famous racecourses in the world in the annual battle for international glory.
The Shergar Cup is unique on the international racing calendar, with individual skill and national pride forming key elements in search of the ultimate glory, much like the Ryder Cup, where golf’s elite competitors – who traditionally compete as individuals – unite to represent Europe and the United States of America in the teams’ event.
Returning to the esteemed jockeys’ competition for a second time, Ho has the honour of captaining Team Hong Kong after previously helping the Rest of the World team prevail in 2019, when he scored his first winner at Ascot – located west of London in Berkshire, England – aboard Power Of Darkness in the Shergar Cup Mile.
Ho, 36, is one of most decorated graduates from The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s world-renowned Apprentice Jockeys’ School, since graduating in 2012. He is the winner of 646 races in Hong Kong and gained widespread recognition through his association with legendary galloper Golden Sixty, a record-breaking force and winner of 10 Group 1 races, each under Ho.
“It’s definitely a privilege to represent Team Hong Kong,” Ho said. “It’s the first time Team Hong Kong has participated in the Shergar Cup; we’ll definitely do our best to represent Hong Kong. I had a really great experience at Ascot (in 2019). It’s definitely one of the best racecourses in the world.”
Chau is also a product of The Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Apprentice Jockeys’ School, having graduated in 2021. The 26-year-old is fifth in the current riding championship, which remains one of the most fiercely competitive rosters in the world, featuring 2017 LONGINES World’s Best Jockey Hugh Bowman, and Zac Purton, second in the current LONGINES World’s Best Jockey standings. Chau leads homegrown riders with 46 wins this season as he pursues the Tony Cruz Award as the season’s leading homegrown rider.
Chau’s first full season in the city saw him accrue a record 58 winners – the most by an apprentice in Hong Kong racing history. His biggest success came in last year’s G3 Korea Sprint (1200m, sand) with Self Improvement.
“I really want to thank The Hong Kong Jockey Club for the amazing opportunity,” Chau said. “It’s a privilege for me to represent Team Hong Kong and I will do my absolute best.”
Luke Ferraris is part of South African racing royalty as the third generation of one of the country’s most distinguished horse racing families. He grew up in Hong Kong while his father, David Ferraris, trained in the city and handled star galloper Vengeance Of Rain, the 2006/07 Hong Kong Horse of the Year. Luke returned to South Africa in 2017 and was indentured as an apprentice to his South African Hall of Fame grandfather Ormond, one of the nation’s greatest horse racing figures, who trained about 2,600 winners across a 60-plus year period in the sport in South Africa.
The cool-headed 24-year-old, who is ninth in the current standings locally, captured South Africa’s Triple Crown (2021) with Malmoos before returning to Hong Kong to ride full time. He has amassed 164 wins in the city since, including 34 this term.
“It’s a big privilege to be part of the Hong Kong team and an honour,” Ferraris said. “It’s a well-covered event that should be really interesting this year; I think there’s some good riders going, and to ride at Ascot is a big feat in itself – it looks like a lovely track. Hopefully, we can pull some nice horses and make Hong Kong proud.”
Group 1-winning riders Jamie Melham and Suraj Narredu are also set to compete this year. Both have climbed the pinnacle of horse racing in their home countries of Australia and India, respectively, and return to the Shergar Cup in August, which has seen previous participation from champions including Frankie Dettori, Ryan Moore and Gerald Mosse.
Adding to the event’s international appeal, the 25th Shergar Cup will be run under the World Pool banner for the first time. The six-race card will join the global commingling pool’s fixture list, which is powered by over 20 international wagering partners.
“The Hong Kong Jockey Club is thrilled to be represented with Team Hong Kong at the 25th running of the Shergar Cup,” Executive Director of Racing at The Hong Kong Jockey Club Andrew Harding said.
“Joining captain Vincent Ho is the talented duo of Jerry Chau, who graduated from our own Apprentice Jockeys’ School, and Luke Ferraris, a global rising star who has had a long association with Hong Kong racing.
“The introduction of Team Hong Kong reflects Hong Kong’s world-class racing, with the jockeys’ roster in Hong Kong representing the most competitive anywhere on the planet. It is also incredibly exciting to see this year’s Shergar Cup run as part of the World Pool, which is a natural development of our commitment to the continued globalisation of horse racing and the development of premier racing events around the world.”
Nick Smith, Director of Racing and Public Affairs, Ascot Racecourse, said: “Today’s announcement marks probably the most important milestone in the 25 year history of the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup.
“To partner with The Hong Kong Jockey Club, who have so kindly organised today’s events, takes the competition to a new level on the world stage. The Hong Kong Jockey Club have unveiled their team, to carry their club colours, against the best jockeys from around the world and I am sure they will perform with distinction.
“We at Ascot are delighted to be staging the first World Pool event outside Group 1 parameters. This completes the portfolio of World Pool feature days at Ascot, which already includes Royal Ascot, King George Day and QIPCO British Champions Day.
“Having launched this global phenomenon with HKJC at Royal Ascot in 2019, this is a proud moment for us. I’d particularly like to thank Dubai Duty Free, our longstanding event sponsors, for their support, which has enabled us to build the competition’s global appeal and popularity over the years.”
The Shergar Cup is an annual team competition. Riders will carry their team’s silks in races, with points awarded to the first five horses past the winning post: 15 for first, 10 for second, seven for third, five for fourth and three for fifth. The team with the most points at the end of the competition wins, while the Silver Saddle – secured by Hong Kong racing’s own Matthew Chadwick in 2012 and the Hong Kong-based Hugh Bowman in 2025 – goes to the jockey who accumulates the most points.
