Luke Ferraris will reach another big milestone in his career at the Shergar Cup on Saturday, when he represents Hong Kong at Ascot alongside Jerry Chau Chun-lok and Vincent Ho Chak-yiu.
The city will field its own full squad for the first time in the team event, facing Great Britain and Ireland, Europe and the Rest of the World in the points-based competition.
Of the three jockeys, only Ho has competed in the event before, riding for the Rest of the World squad that won in 2019, and guiding Power Of Darkness to victory to help the points tally.
Ferraris, meanwhile, comes into the Shergar Cup on the back of 35 winners last season, and the 24-year-old South African is relishing the chance to represent Hong Kong this weekend.
“It’s been amazing in Hong Kong and I’ve been incredibly lucky with the people I’ve met along the way and the help I’ve had,” Ferraris said.
“I pinch myself now and then just to remind myself how lucky I am, and to just keep my head down and keep working hard. I think as long as I can do that, the rest should take care of itself.
“It does give you the feeling of having made it, but you’ve also got to be careful. You’ve never really made it in this game and as long as you can remind yourself of that, then hopefully you keep getting picked for events like this.
“It was a huge pinch-me moment when I was asked to represent Hong Kong alongside Vincent and Jerry. It’s a big milestone in my career.”
Ferraris is no stranger to competing against the world’s best riders, facing the likes of Zac Purton and Hugh Bowman in Hong Kong on a weekly basis.
This year’s Shergar Cup field has brought together the likes of Ryan Moore, Christophe Lemaire and Yutaka Take, who all have elite status in the jockey ranks.
There is one man that Ferraris is hoping to beat, however, when he faces him again – this time on unfamiliar ground.
“Ryan Moore springs to mind, just with his reputation and how he goes about his business. He’s the best in the world, in my opinion,” Ferraris said.
“We’ve locked horns at Sha Tin but to do it here will be special, as it’s his backyard this time, so it should be very interesting.”
In terms of British racing, many would consider Ascot the pinnacle, despite Newmarket being the unofficial home of flat racing in the region.
Ferraris got his eye in for Ascot by riding out in Newmarket for George Boughey and will not be daunted by Ascot’s “bright lights”, with the huge grandstand sharing plenty of similarity to Sha Tin.
That said, Ascot presents a challenge that Sha Tin and Happy Valley do not.
“Ascot takes your breath away – it looks like a carpet and then you realise it’s grass, which I think sums it up very well,” Ferraris said.
“Watching it on TV and from the grandstand, you don’t notice that the undulations are quite big, which has changed the mindset of how I’m going to ride the races. It’s not something we really face in Hong Kong.
“You have to look at the fields and where your horse likes to be, but that has to be taken into consideration, just in terms of energy conservation and being able to produce them at the right time so they’re not coming up for oxygen too soon.
“It’s not daunting – I think the right word would be excitement. There’s a bit of anxiousness as you just want to get out there and do it. This is the time where they build the anticipation and the suspense becomes annoying because you just want to get to the day.”
Winners are what keep the world spinning for jockeys, so Ferraris’ Saturday goal is obvious without asking the question, but he also is making sure to stay grounded and to savour the occasion.
“I think you’d be silly not to have the goal of a winner or two, but I think enjoying the day and enjoying a course like Ascot, which is so well kept and holds so much history and prestige, is important. Of course a winner would be the cherry on top,” Ferraris said.
