Shergar Cup: Nicola Currie hoping Silver Saddle winning performance catches the eye of big-name trainers
Nicola Currie claimed the Silver Saddle award for leading rider at the Shergar Cup after winning two of the six races at Ascot; Currie starred as the Ladies team claimed overall victory from Ireland and Great Britain
Saturday 7 August 2021 17:18, UK
Nicola Currie is hoping her standout performance in the Shergar Cup can light the fire in her career and persuade more trainers to give her big rides.
Currie's double at Ascot helped the Ladies team claim the title on Saturday and earned the Scottish jockey the Silver Saddle award for leading rider.
Currie produced a brave front-running performance on Just Hubert in the Stayers race and delivered State of Bliss at the perfect time to win the Classic race at the famous team-based competition.
Asked if the victories could spark her career further, Currie said: "I really hope so. It's tough for everybody, especially at the minute - there are so many jockeys and so many good jockeys out there.
"You need a few winners to get the flag going again and this is really going to help.
"I want to keep the ball rolling. I don't want to just sit on the sidelines and do it just to get by.
"I want to make a good go of it, so hopefully this can pick things back up again."
Reflecting on a memorable day, Currie added: "It's unbelievable to win the Silver Saddle.
"I was hoping I might nick one today or the team could win on points, but to have a double. I thought this leading jockey's armband would be harder to keep than a driver's licence!
"I had a very straightforward ride on State Of Bliss. I jumped to be positive, but we went a really hard gallop, so I just settled him in on the way round.
"He just keeps finding, so I really wanted to get him rolling as soon as I could and thankfully, I was able to do that. The further we went, the better he has gone."
Ireland's David Egan was second on the riders' list with 29 points, and his team-mate Joe Fanning shared third place with the British pair of James Doyle and Cieren Fallon - all on 27 points.
