‘Now is the time to move away' – Ascot drops Ladies' Team from Shergar Cup for new Asia squad

ASCOT bosses have dropped the famous Ladies' Team from the Shergar Cup - and replaced it with a squad from Asia.
Chiefs said 'now is the time to move away' from having a separate side for women.
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Trailblazing jockey Hollie Doyle said the decision was a 'nice reminder' that men and women compete on equal terms in racing.
The popular Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup is one of Ascot's biggest meetings and this year's renewal on August 9 will have £500,000 up for grabs.
Recently-retired Hayley Turner was the face of the ladies-only team, which had won four of the past six Shergar Cups.
Turner, who announced her pregnancy in her retirement statement, snatched the title in dramatic fashion last year with a short-head victory on New Image in the final race.
But it's all change for 2025, with the ladies' team axed and a new Asian contingent in its place.
Japanese jockey Ryusei Sakai will be the 'star attraction' thanks to his association with Forever Young, the world's highest-rated horse.
He will be joined by Mirai Iwata, dubbed the 'rising star' of Japan's jockey league, while Suraj Narredu from India will captain the team.
They will wear red silks, replacing the pink of the ladies.
Doyle will captain the Great Britain and Ireland squad, while there will also be teams from Europe and the Rest of the World.
Doyle, who recently became Britain's most successful female jockey, said: "The Ladies' Team over the years has had great success, but the new changes that have been made, which include integrating the male and female jockeys on the same team, is a nice reminder that we as jockeys complete on a level playing field internationally."
While Nick Smith, Director of Racing and Public Affairs at Ascot Racecourse, said: "We're pleased to have secured top talent from across the world to compete at the Dubai Duty Free Shergar Cup with at least eight different countries set to be represented already.
"We feel now is the time to move away from a ladies-only team, and this new evolution of the format keeps the event fresh."
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BBC News

20 minutes ago

• BBC News

Romantasy: Why it's happily ever after for romance books

Inside London's first romance-only bookshop, Sarah Maxwell stands in the "smut hut" – a section dedicated to her store's more erotic by shelves stacked with brightly coloured paperbacks – with titles including Just For the Summer, Swept Away and The Friendship Fling – young women are milling around, chatting and flicking through says she wants to challenge the critics of romance fiction - often men - who diminish what she describes as "really high-quality writing" by saying "it's just smut"."A lot of these books have really strong world-building, amazing character development and really a good plot," Sarah says.A surge in romance and fantasy sales last year pushed UK fiction revenue above £1bn for the first time, according to a report released last its popularity grows, some readers and industry experts say attitudes towards romance are changing for the better, but others believe sexism keeps the genre from the mainstream. Romance fiction spans a dizzying range of sub-genres and moods, all centred around heady love stories with a guaranteed happily ever after – or HEA to fans – lending the books a comforting, cosy – a blend of romance and fantasy – has become a reliable fixture on best-seller lists, largely due to the cult-like following it has gained among TikTok's reading community, series like Fourth Wing and A Court of Thorns and Roses see female protagonists enter high-stakes relationships set against magical, fantastic readers pick what to read based on tropes such as "enemies to lovers" and "second-chance romance", with books marketed under these banners.A book's "spice level" – or how much sex can be found between the covers – is also a major factor, often focused on female pleasure, power and emotional connection. 'Some people turn their nose up' "I'm into cowboys at the moment," says Sky, 23 from London – a reference to "cowboy romances", a growing sub-genre whose books take place in a western setting - often the American and another fan, Chantelle, 24 describe themselves as "very proud romance readers". They trace their love of the genre to reading fanfiction under their desks at school, and now get their recommendations through BookTok. But Sky and Chantelle admit not everyone reacts positively when they talk about their favourite books."Some people do turn their nose up, roll their eyes sometimes," says Chantelle, "but I just don't really care".Caroline, 29, admits she "sneered a bit" at romance in her early twenties."I used to read romances when I was a teenager," she recalls, "but I got away from it and started reading stuff I thought was really smart."Then last year, Caroline picked up Emily Henry's bestseller Book Lovers - an "enemies to lovers" story about a literary agent and a book editor, set in a picturesque small town. "I realised I hadn't consumed something guilt-free in my reading for a really long time," Caroline says, "and it was just really fun".She's since devoured the entire series of A Court of Thorns and Roses, a stalwart of bestseller lists and many readers' first taste of romantasy."It's nice to feel all the feelings with something that's just going to really entertain you," Caroline 31, has long read both romance and fantasy for much-needed escapism: "Sometimes I think we all need a little bit of a happily ever after in life."She says "chick-lit" stigma is still strong, but thinks attitudes are starting to change as people speak openly about their love of the genre online."We're talking about it in a different way," Victoria says. "Guilty pleasures? Do I need to feel guilty for loving something?" 'These are the Swifties' Both romance and fantasy saw record sales last year, according to data gathered from more than 7,000 UK & Sagas, as they are officially categorised, increased from £62m in 2023 to £69m in 2024, while Science Fiction & Fantasy saw an even bigger bump - from £59m to £ categories have seen these numbers skyrocket since the pandemic, growing year-on-year - back in 2019, romance's sales sat at £24m, and fantasy at £ under 35 years old make up more than half of romantasy purchases, figures agent Rebeka Finch, 28, says the "voracious" appetite among this demographic, largely driven by BookTok, reflects broader consumer likens romance readers to Swifties - Taylor Swift fans - known for owning multiple copies of the same album and wanting to feel a tangible connection to their favourite artist."They are the people that are so obsessive about books that they will buy a Kindle edition, they will have a hard back edition, they will have a paperback edition."They will have so many different volumes of the same book because they love it so much." Bookshop owner Sarah Maxwell says the demographic gave her the confidence to open Saucy Books in the middle of a high street downturn that has seen many independent bookshops suffer."People have this perception that's it's not good business," Sarah says, but the community is "strong" and the authors prolific, providing plenty of stock."Millennial women have the most disposable income," she adds. "Romance is serious business."Despite this commercial growth, Rebeka says broader attitudes remain derisive - particularly when it comes to "spicy" titles."'That's fairy porn' - the amount of times that I have heard that!" Rebeka exclaims."Part of me wants to be like, 'So what?' This industry has been made for the male gaze for so long."It's such a small percentage of the book and actually… it's largely portraying fairly healthy sexual relationships." 'It boils down to money' Within the publishing industry, attitudes are changing but mainly for commercial reasons, according to Katie Fraser, who writes for publishing magazine, The has been a "maligned genre" within the industry that "some people just didn't want to be associated with," she says. But as romance readers become an "economic force," publishers have had to take it more seriously and invest."Publishing is an industry, so that's what it ultimately boils down to," Katie says. Author Bea Fitzgerald, 28, says she benefitted from this commercial shift, selling her young adult fantasy rom-com Girl Goddess Queen at the peak of the romance boom."That sort of space opening up is what allowed me to move into the market," she previously worked in publishing, and recalls seeing "a lot of books that could have been published as romance [instead] published in other literary genres because they think that it will not appeal to a certain type of audience".The genre is nothing new, she quips, having long been "championed" by publishers such as Mills & Boon. The difference now is that young people "like things really unapologetically"."They won't just read a romance, they'll go shout about it online, and then they'll go to a romance convention, and they'll talk to their friends about it."While the community has grown, Bea thinks critical appraisal of the genre is still lacking."Do we see broadsheets reviewing romance books? No. And they are just as important, literary books."Bea believes this is both because "the good majority" of the readers are women, and simply because the stories are happy."It goes in line with this sort of academic elitism that for something to be serious, it has to be a Shakespearean tragedy," she says. "Whereas if it's happy, it's not serious, it hasn't got literary merit. It obviously does - of course it does." Photos by Emma lynch

Daily Mail​

21 minutes ago

• Daily Mail​

Love Island viewers left bemused after Toni and Emily viciously clash for 'no reason' in foul-mouthed scenes and ask: 'Did I miss something?'

Love Island viewers were left bemused after bombshells Toni Laites and Emily Moran clashed 'for no reason' in foul-mouthed scenes on Friday. Earlier in the episode American Toni, 24, expressed her dislike for Emily, also 24, slamming the Welsh insurance worker as 'Little Miss Sunshine'. Later coming face-to face in a tense exchange, Toni said she was 'done' before screaming at her fellow islander to 'get the f*** out of her face' and storming off. Taking to X fans were confused by the sudden tension between the pair and convinced bosses had accidentally left footage on the cutting room floor which would explain the animosity. They wrote: 'Okay so this whole thing between Toni and Emily reads that somethings happened and we haven't got the full story': 'I forgot Emily was even on Love Island, what is happening off camera for Toni to clock her like that OMG'. 'I like Toni but I genially don't see what Emily did wrong? Maybe they didn't edit it in the scene?: 'I don't know what happened but pretty sure Toni is right': 'What happened with Toni and Emily anyway?'. It comes after Love Island fans shared what might be the most outrageous conspiracy theory in the show's history. Viewers of the ITV2 dating show have claimed that one of the Islanders is an ' AI bot' and was suffering a string of 'glitchy' moments while in the iconic villa. The sexy singleton in question is none other than Yasmin Pettet, 24. The commercial banking executive, who is currently coupled up with Shea Mannings, 25, entered the villa alongside Emily and Malisha Jordan, 24, earlier this week and has certainly ruffled a few feathers amongst the cast. She has gone after 25-year-old Megan Moore's man Dejon Noel Williams, 26, and also laid it on thick with 29-year-old Helena Ford's beau Harry Cooksley, 30. But her perfect posture while chatting with her co-stars and standing by the firepit has raised a few eyebrows. One fan took to TikTok to share the bizarre theory with a selection of clips and the caption: 'Guys I'm scared... I think she's AI.' Meanwhile others have taken to X, formerly known as Twitter, to say the same thing. Taking to X fans were confused by the sudden tension between the pair and convinced bosses had accidentally left footage on the cutting room floor which would explain the animosity 'Yas is actually AI.' 'This Yas girl gotta be AI.' 'I saw someone say Yasmin is AI and bro she is literally not real.' 'Yasmin is the certified first Love island AI icon #Loveisland #loveislanduk.' 'Are we sure Yasmin isn't AI robot? #LoveIsland.' Another said on Instagram: 'AI Yasmin, we needed her.' Yasmin has been bringing the drama this season - and fans are loving it. The beauty left Dejon shocked when she asked if he'd consider a threesome with her and Toni. She's also not been afraid to get to know other guys - including Harry. The pair snogged during last night's episode, leaving his girl Helena fuming, as well as her man Shea. During a recent challenge Yasmin kissed two other boys during the course of the game. When she pulled Shea for a chat around the fire pit to check in, he told her: 'You made me look like a mug.' Yasmin replied: 'Yeah, that wasn't my intention, it was just a game that I felt everyone else was playing way too safe.' NAME: Dejon Noel Williams AGE: 26 FROM: London OCCUPATION: Semi-pro footballer and personal trainer WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Someone who is beautiful on the inside and out, looks after themselves and is healthy CLAIM TO FAME? My dad being an ex-professional footballer. I've met all kinds of famous people through him. When I was younger it was weird because he was just my dad, but we'd go to a game and fans were asking for photos. I've met David Beckham, he was really nice. Megan Moore NAME: Megan Moore AGE: 25 FROM: Southampton OCCUPATION: Payroll specialist WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? I'd like to meet someone who is tall, with a nice tan, nice eyes and a nice smile. He needs to have a good fashion sense and a really good, funny personality that I can get on with HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR LOVE LIFE? Bankrupt, right now. But we're going to make sales and get on that corporate ladder and be booming. Profits, profits, profits! NAME: Tommy Bradley AGE: 22 FROM: Hertfordshire OCCUPATION: Landscape Gardener WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? A girl who is very ambitious, with a big personality, caring, but also someone that doesn't take themselves too seriously. I don't know if that's asking for too much, but I want a bit of everything. I haven't got a specific type in terms of looks, though. WHAT WOULD YOU BE CEO OF? Taking hours to do my hair NAME: Alima Gagio AGE: 23 FROM: Glasgow OCCUPATION: Wealth Management Client Services Executive WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? A tall man with a handsome face. You know when you just look at a guy and they have that Disney prince look to them? That's it WOULD MAYA HIRE YOU FOR YOUR FLIRTING SKILLS? I think she'd hire me because I'm a good flirt. I always ask guys on a night out to guess which country I'm originally from. If they get it right, they can get my number. But they never guess correctly so it works really well if you don't want to give a guy your number. I'm originally from Guinea Bissau. If they're close and I really fancy them, I'll give them my number anyway. NAME: Ben Holbrough AGE: 23 FROM: Gloucester OCCUPATION: Private Hire Taxi driver WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Someone sexy, good looking, good chat, good vibes, nice teeth and good eye contact - they're all the traits I look for. Oh, and also a cute smile, I just look at you and know I can be around you all day, every day. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR LOVE LIFE? Bankrupt. I'd have been out of business a long time ago. That's exactly why I'm here. NAME: Helena Ford AGE: 29 FROM: London OCCUPATION: Cabin Crew WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Somebody funny or Northern. I feel like Northern people have much more banter than Southerners. If you look through my previous dating history, you'll see I clearly go for personality. You can pretty much laugh me into bed. WOULD MAYA HIRE YOU FOR YOUR FLIRTING SKILLS? I would say hire but then quickly fire soon after. It would only be a temporary contract. NAME: Megan Forte Clarke AGE: 24 FROM: Dublin OCCUPATION: Musical theatre performer and energy broker WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Someone who doesn't take themselves too seriously and has a sense of humour. If they're not bad looking, that's always a plus. I love a boy that's a bit pasty, like Timothée Chalamet. I don't mind scrawny, or a bit of a 'dad bod'. I'm 5ft1 so any height really. CLAIM TO FAME? Me and my friends made a Derry Girls TikTok for Halloween and it went a bit viral around Brighton. Sometimes I get stopped in the street about it. I've also done Panto. NAME: Shakira Khan AGE: 26 FROM: London OCCUPATION: Construction Project Manager WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? Someone who is tall, charming, witty, with big arms, a good smile and just really funny. HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR LOVE LIFE? Booming, but they're all frogs. It's a busy love life but I've not found 'the husband', I'm looking for 'the one'. I'm looking for the ring. NAME: Harry Cooksley AGE: 30 FROM: Guildford OCCUPATION: Gold trader, semi-professional footballer and model WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? The girl next door that makes me laugh and can hold eye contact with me. I don't think I'd go for the most obvious girl, I like a real sweet girl. CLAIM TO FAME? I'm the body double for Declan Rice. So when he does a shoot, any body close ups will actually be me. You'll never see my face, but you'll see my shoulder or chest, that kind of thing. NAME: Conor Phillips AGE: 23 FROM: Limerick OCCUPATION: Professional rugby player WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR?Someone who is really sure of themselves, ambitious, a bit of a go-getter and good craic. I like dark eyes and I don't mind a dominant woman. WOULD MAYA HIRE YOU FOR YOUR FLIRTING SKILLS? Definitely hire. I ask girls if they want to go halves on a baby. It doesn't work, but it gets them laughing. It's an ice-breaker, not a serious question of course! NAME: Toni Laites AGE: 24 FROM: Connecticut OCCUPATION: Las Vegas Pool Cabana Server WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? I'm looking for darker hair, definitely muscular but not too muscular. Super fit. Clean hair cut. Someone that can make me laugh - I'm super outgoing. And someone that's quite active. Maybe one day we could start our own family together. I WANT TO DATE A BRITISH GUY BECAUSE... I've lived in three different states and I'm still single. It's time to try something new! I have some British friends and they're pretty charming. I think all Americans love a good accent. British men are just more polite, with better manners. NAME: Shea Mannings AGE: 25 FROM: Bristol OCCUPATION: Scaffolder WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? She needs to be bubbly and we need to have that initial spark. She needs to have a nice personality - like I think I have - so that we match together. Also, I have a little boy, so I'll be taking him into consideration with who I couple up with, too. WOULD MAYA HIRE YOU FOR YOUR FLIRTING SKILLS? Definitely hire. I'm confident to go up and introduce myself and say, 'You look beautiful', to get a conversation flowing. NAME: Remell Mullins AGE: 24 FROM: Essex OCCUPATION: Self Improvement Content Creator WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FOR? A bubbly, confident, ambitious and fun girl. One feature that stands out to me is a nice smile, nice teeth and someone that can keep me on my toes. IF YOU WERE THE CEO OF ANYTHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE? I'm the CEO of flirting. Sometimes it's just unintentional. 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The Guardian

23 minutes ago

• The Guardian

Ghibli's midlife crisis: as beloved Japanese studio turns 40 will the magic fade?

Disney, Pixar … Ghibli. For its legions of admirers, the Japanese studiohasn't just held its own against the American powerhouses, it has surpassed them with the impossible beauty of its hand-drawn animation and its commentary on the ambivalence of the human condition. Although he would refuse to acknowledge it, much of Studio Ghibli's success is down to one man: Hayao Miyazaki, a master animator whose presence towers over the studio's output. Making a feature-length anime the old-fashioned way may require a large and multitalented cast, but Miyazaki is the thread running through Ghibli's creative genius. Now, as the studio marks its 40th anniversary, it faces an uncertain future, amid renewed speculation that its figurehead auteur really has wielded his pencil for the last time. Roland Kelts, a visiting professor at the school of culture, media and society at Waseda University, said Ghibli had failed to anticipate a time when Miyazaki, who is 84, would no longer be at the helm, even after the succession question grew more urgent following the death in 2018 of co-founder Isao Takahata. Instead, the studio shifted its focus to commercial activities. 'The studio failed to produce heirs to Miyazaki and Takahata, and now it's a merchandising monster,' says Kelts, author of Japanamerica: How Japanese Pop Culture Has Invaded the US. In 2013, Miyazaki announced that he would no longer make feature-length films, citing the difficulty of living up to his own impossibly high standards. But four years later, Ghibli said its co-founder had had a change of heart and would make 'his final film, considering his age'. The result was The Boy and the Heron, winner of the 2024 Academy Award for best animated film. While Ghibli performs alchemy on the screen, there is nothing it can do to shapeshift itself clear of the march of mortality: Miyazaki's main colour designer, Yasuda Michiyo, whose work appeared in most of his films, died two years before Takahata, while another co-founder, producer Toshio Suzuki, is 76. As a result, the studio is finally looking ahead to a future without its leading creative light, notwithstanding persistent rumours that Miyazaki is not quite done yet. 'Miyazaki is 84 and may not have time to make another movie,' says Kelts. The studio was formally established by Miyazaki, Suzuki and Takahata in 1985 – a year after it released the post-apocalyptic Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. It has since become a cultural phenomenon, winning an Oscar in 2003 for Spirited Away, and a second Oscar in 2024 for The Boy and the Heron. Told through the prism of the fantastical, and featuring characters and themes that defy the pigeonholing that underpins much of Hollywood's output, Studio Ghibli's films are widely considered masterpieces of their genre, earning two Oscars and the devotion of millions of fans across the world. Watching a Ghibli movie is like reading literature, says Miyuki Yonemura, a professor at Japan's Senshu University who studies cultural theories on animation. 'That's why some children have watched My Neighbour Totoro 40 times,' she says. 'Audiences discover something new every time.' In some ways, Ghibli shares certain values with Disney, says Susan Napier, a professor of Japanese studies at Tufts University in the US, believes. 'Both are family oriented, insist on high production standards and have distinctive worldviews. 'But what is striking about Ghibli is how for the last 40 years the studio has reflected and maintained a set of values and aesthetics that are clearly drawn from its founders and not from a corporate playbook,' adds Napier, author of Miyazakiworld: a Life in Art. Miyazaki has made no secret of his progressive politics, informed by his experience living through conflict and postwar austerity, and has publicly criticised attempts by conservative politicians to revise Japan's war-renouncing constitution. His films address the themes of war and the environment, but stop short of distilling the narrative into a simple battle of good versus evil. The Boy and the Heron, for example, opens with Mahito Maki, the 12-year-old protagonist, losing his mother in the US's aerial bombardment of Tokyo in March 1945, in which an estimated 100,000 people died. However, Ghibli's decades of independence ended in 2023 when the studio was acquired by Nippon TV – a move that the studio conceded came amid uncertainty over its future leadership. Speculation that Miyazaki's eldest son, Goro, was heir apparent has dampened since the latter voiced doubt about his ability to run the studio alone, and amid reports that artistic differences had contributed to 'strained' relations between father and son. Now it will be up to Nippon TV to develop a pool of directors to gradually replace the old guard, including those with expertise in computer animation, considered anathema to Ghibli's fierce commitment to hand-drawn frames. Ghibli has at least overcome its squeamishness towards broadening its commercial brief. The Ghibli Museum has been a huge success since it opened in western Tokyo in 2001, while visitors flock to Ghibli Park in central Japan, whose launch in 2022 was seen as an acknowledgment by the studio that it needed to build a brand that went beyond film-making. Now Ghibli merchandise is ubiquitous, from My Neighbour Totoro T-shirts and cuddly character toys to high-end leather handbags inspired by Spirited Away and Levi's branded Princess Mononoke jackets. Totoro, Miyazaki's 1988 film set in 1950s rural Japan, was turned into a play by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2022. Last year a stage adaptation of Spirited Away received a four-star review in the Guardian. While computer-generated animation and AI make the painstaking, aesthetically stunning animation that Ghibli is renowned harder than it was a generation ago, Napier is not convinced the octogenarian auteur is ready to retire. 'I can't imagine someone like Miyazaki, with his intellectual and artistic vivacity, simply being content to sit around, so who knows?' Agence France-Presse contributed reporting