Per-Anders Gråberg returns to Shergar Cup – one year after career-threatening injury

Gråberg, a multiple Scandinavian champion and one of the most experienced riders in Scandinavia, has been selected to captain Team Europe in this year’s edition of the Shergar Cup. His selection follows a determined recovery from a double pelvic fracture sustained in August 2024, when a horse reared and fell on him during a morning workout.

“This is huge for me,” Gråberg says. “The Shergar Cup is racing’s Ryder Cup – to be invited is an honour, and to ride against some of the very best jockeys in the world makes it even more special.”

The Swedish veteran made his racing comeback in April and has already ridden seven winners across Sweden and Denmark this season. His return has been nothing short of remarkable, considering the injury required emergency airlift, surgery, and months of intense rehabilitation.

“Just being back in the saddle feels like a win. Being picked for the Shergar Cup – that’s something else entirely.”

This will be Gråberg’s second appearance at the Shergar Cup, having debuted in 2018 when he secured a win on the prestigious Ascot turf – a rare feat for Scandinavian riders. Known for his tactical intelligence and consistency, Gråberg brings more than three decades of top-level racing experience to Team Europe.

He will ride alongside Swiss jockey Sibylle Vogt – the first woman to win the German 1,000 Guineas – and Italian ace Dario Di Tocco, who has over 850 domestic victories, including the Derby Italiano.

“The whole Shergar Cup experience is five-star – the atmosphere, the racing, the organisation. To be one of only three chosen to represent Europe, and to ride at Ascot again, is something I truly look forward to,” Gråberg says.

Read more: Press release from Ascot 12 May 2025