Racing Digest: Great Britain & Ireland Lift Shergar Cup, O’Brien Wins an 18th Phoenix Stakes, and Big Buck’s Passes Away at 23

Big Buck's
Big Buck's (Image: Carine06, Flickr)

The second weekend in August was lit up by the distinctive Shergar Cup fixture, as Ascot welcomed four teams of international riders. Fending off strong challenges from Hong Kong, Europe, and the Rest of the World, the Great Britain & Ireland team, featuring a red-hot Ryan Moore, came out on top in Berkshire.

Ireland set the stage for the week’s big Group 1 highlight as a field of the most promising juvenile sprinters arrived at the Curragh for the Phoenix Stakes. Just as it had on 17 occasions in the past, the prize headed to the Ballydoyle yard of Aidan O’Brien, as Sun Goddess confirmed herself as a serious talent.

The weekend also brought news of the passing of legendary staying hurdler Big Buck’s, who won 18 consecutive races for Paul Nicholls between January 2009 and December 2012.

Moore the Star of the Shergar Cup Show


This year’s Shergar Cup fixture received a big boost with the confirmation that Ryan Moore would make a first appearance at the meeting in 20 years. Taking his place in the Great Britain & Ireland team alongside Irish champion Dylan Browne McMonagle and captain Saffie Osborne, Moore delivered on the hype with a sparkling display in the saddle.

Debutants Hong Kong made a flying start with Jerry Chau leading home a 1-2 in the opening Shergar Cup Dash. When Luke Ferraris made it back-to-back wins in the Stayers, it looked as though the new team might make their first appearance a winning one.

However, having picked up only minor points in the opening two races, Great Britain & Ireland hit form in the heart of the card. Wins for Ryan Moore in the Challenge and Classic sandwiched Saffie Osborne’s success in the Sprint to send the hosts into the final race with a nine-point lead over Hong Kong.

Norwegian rider Frida Valle Skar produced an excellent front-running ride aboard Crown Board to land the finale, with fellow Team Europe member Christophe-Patrice Lemaire taking second. With Ryan Moore taking third and Dylan Browne McMonagle fifth, the hosts pulled further clear to finish on 81 points – 19 points ahead of Hong Kong in second.

This was the first win for the home team since 2022. Ryan Moore once again confirmed his class as he claimed the Alastair Haggis Silver Saddle (awarded to the individual rider with the most points) for the second time in as many Shergar Cup appearances.

Sun Too Hot in Phoenix Stakes


County Kildare provided the stage for the Group 1 highlight of the week as a talented field of youngsters arrived at the Curragh for the 2026 edition of the Phoenix Stakes. Taking place over 6f, this sprint contest has fallen to a host of star names, including Johannesburg, George Washington, Mastercraftsman, and Caravaggio. One thing that quartet has in common is that they were all trained by Ballydoyle maestro Aidan O’Brien.

Ahead of this year’s renewal, O’Brien had, in fact, won the Phoenix Stakes on no fewer than 17 occasions – an impressive tally even by his lofty standards. However, he had never before claimed the prize with a filly. As such, the authoritative success of Sun Goddess represented a first for the Coolmore-backed handler.

Sent off as the 5/4 favourite in the hands of Shergar Cup hero Ryan Moore, Sun Goddess was held up in last for much of the race. However, once Moore asked her to quicken, the response was electric. Sticking to the far side, she ran down her frontrunning stablemate Carry The Flag and comfortably held off Joseph O’Brien’s Folsom Blues, who finished well for second. Having been backed into 6/4 from 3/1, Celeron was the big disappointment of the race as he faded to finish seventh of the eight runners.

Sun Goddess followed in the hoofprints of her sire, Sioux Nation, who claimed the 2017 edition, with Ryan Moore once again the man in the saddle. The Moyglare Stud Stakes or Cheveley Park Stakes are the most obvious next targets for Sun Goddess, who shortened into 9/1 for the 2027 1,000 Guineas.

Nicholls Pays Tribute to Big Buck’s


Saturday 8 August brought news that one of the sport’s greatest-ever staying hurdlers had passed away peacefully at the age of 23. Hailing from the yard of Paul Nicholls and belonging to the golden Ditcheat era of Kauto Star, Denman, and Master Minded, Big Buck’s was yet another star who took his trainer to the top of the National Hunt tree.

Sporting the famous black-and-white checks of the Stewart family, Big Buck’s was initially sent chasing when joining the Nicholls yard from France in 2007. While talented enough to win the Grade 2 Mildmay Novices’ Chase, a clumsy unseat in the Hennessy Gold Cup prompted a switch back to hurdles. That decision triggered one of the most remarkable winning streaks in National Hunt history.

Kicking off with a handicap success at Cheltenham on New Year’s Day in 2009, Big Buck’s won 18 consecutive races, breaking the 16-race record set by Sir Ken back in the 1950s. Rarely flashy in the manner of a Kauto Star, Big Buck’s wins were characterised by a flat spot followed by a turbo-charged finishing effort that his rivals simply couldn’t live with. His 18-race winning sequence included record-setting tallies of four wins in the Stayers’ Hurdle, Liverpool Hurdle, and Long Distance Hurdle, and three in the Long Walk Hurdle.

Retired at the age of 11 following a final appearance in the 2014 Stayers’ Hurdle, Big Buck’s went on to enjoy a long and happy retirement. Admitting to feeling “choked” when hearing the news, Nicholls paid tribute to his former star, stating, “I always thought he had as much ability as any horse I’ve ever trained.” Given the catalogue of superstar names to call the Nicholls yard home over the years, praise doesn’t come too much higher than that.