Suraj Narredu made India proud at Ascot last year. The top Indian saddle artiste led the Asian team to a spectacular win in the Shergar Cup championship. Suraj is invited again to compete in the prestigious championship for international jockeys and the Indian ace is placed in the Rest Of World squad this year.

The first Indian to win at Ascot, Suraj, winner of the best ride of the championship award for his sublime effort on Fireblade in the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup Stayers last year is hoping to turn on the magic in company with Japanese legend Yutaka Take and Jamie Melham, winner of the Melbourne Cup last year, for the three-member Rest of the World squad on Saturday, August 8 in the big-ticket event at Ascot. Yutaka and Jamie Melham apart, Christophe Lemaire, top gun on the Japanese circuit, Safie Osborne from the United Kingdom, who recorded a double on her Shergar Cup debut in 2023 and the Norwegian rising star Frida Valle Skar, to name a few will be in action on the big night. 

Lemaire and Frida Valle Skar will don the silks for the European team, while Safie is in the Great Britain and Ireland team. Emerging stars Jerry Chau and Luke Ferraris have been selected to join Vincent Ho, winner of 646 races in Hong Kong in the Team Hong Kong. 

"It's a big honour and high recognition and I'm ready to showcase my skills against the best," said Suraj adding that he is satisfied with his preparation for the event. "Last three months I have been working hard on my fitness and I feel I'm at my best, fighting fit to compete in the top event," said Suraj. The top Indian jockey, who flew out on Wednesday disclosed that he plans to work out a few horses on the Warren Hill training track before the mega event. The Indian star hoping to draw a couple of good winning mounts on the big day said: "You need luck on your side to get winning rides and I hope I get lucky. Nonetheless competing against legends, Lemaire, Vincent Ho and a host of other top international stars is a dream come true and hopefully I will make it count."

This year the Shergar Cup will be staging the first World pool event outside Group One parameters. World Pool is now in its eighth year, started at Royal Ascot in 2019. World Pool is a collaboration of 20 plus pool betting operations from around the globe, who commingle their pools into a single pool operated by the Hong Kong Jockey Club. British and Irish racecourses hosted 23 World Pool days last year across eight race venues and a global turnover of 512 million pounds was recorded. This betting model to say the least is agnostic. 

Well all said and done the stage is set at Ascot and the Indian racing fraternity is hoping and praying that Suraj does it again. Here's wishing our big boy the very best in his quest to make it 2 out of two in his second straight appearance in the Shergar Cup.