Admirable victories from Bluestocking and Kyprios at Longchamp’s Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe weekend have seen the duo move to the head of the points standings for the Cartier Horse of the Year, the premier equine accolade of the Cartier Racing Awards.
Bluestocking triumphed in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Pic – Coolmore)
Bluestocking provided owner Juddmonte and its late founder Khalid Abdullah with a record seventh success in Sunday’s Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, as the homebred four-year-old powered clear in testing conditions to prevail by a length and a quarter over Aventure.
Supplemented for the race following a course and distance win in September’s Qatar Prix Vermeille, the Ralph Beckett-trained filly has enjoyed a superb campaign, with further victories in the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Middleton Stakes and Cairn Community Games Pretty Polly Stakes.
Bluestocking produced strong efforts in defeat in the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes and Juddmonte International. The daughter of Camelot has amassed 152 points in Pattern races this year, moving her to the top of the Cartier Horse of the Year and Cartier Older Horse divisions.
Kyprios maintained his perfect season as he readily beat the 2021 & 2023 Cartier Stayer Trueshan in Saturday’s Qatar Prix du Cadran, a performance that moves him alongside Bluestocking in the Cartier Horse of the Year standings with 152 points.
Owned by a Coolmore syndicate that includes Moyglare Stud Farm, Kyprios has looked imperious this year with victories in the Gold Cup, Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup and Comer Group International Irish St Leger in addition to his Longchamp success.
The six-year-old completed the same sequence of top-level wins during an unbeaten 2022 that saw the Galileo entire receive the Cartier Stayer award and he looks ideally placed to receive the prize for a second time.
Aidan O’Brien-trained horses completed a clean sweep of Longchamp’s staying races on Saturday, with Grateful (44 points) securing the Qatar Prix de Royallieu and Illinois (56 in the Cartier Stayer category) adding to his Queen’s Vase success in the Qatar Prix Chaudenay.
Cartier Sprinter contender Makarova (56) enjoyed a fairytale end to her career with victory in the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp Longines on Sunday, coming home ahead of category leader Bradsell (80) and the supremely consistent Believing (60).
Ramatuelle (56) produced one of the most eye-catching wins over the weekend in the Qatar Prix de la Foret Presente par Education Above All, in which she easily beat a strong field by three lengths.
Trained by Christopher Head, Ramatuelle was confirming the form of Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly leader Porta Fortuna (120), having finished third behind the same horse in the Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot. The duo look set to clash again in next month’s Breeders Cup Mile.
Friendly Soul (56) advertised her own Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly ambitions with victory in the Prix de l’Opera Longines, a race in which this season’s Prix de Diane Longines heroine Sparkling Plenty (64) took third. Aventure (64) also consolidated her claims in the category with her second in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Camille Pissarro (40) entered the reckoning for Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt as he sprung a minor surprise in the Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, seeing off Rashabar (48) with Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes runner-up Henri Matisse (48) back in fifth.
Sumbe Prix Morny winner Whistlejacket (80) continues to head the division following his second to Shadow Of Light (40) in the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket’s Cambridgeshire Meeting.
There was also a shock result in the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac, with Vertical Blue (32) denying her well-regarded stablemate Zarigana (24) in a head-bobbing finish.
Both Francis-Henri Graffard-trained fillies have significant ground to make up on the current Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly leader Lake Victoria (72), who completed back-to-back G1 wins with another impressive display in Newmarket’s Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes.
Cartier Racing Awards – points earned in Pattern races up to and including Sunday, October 6, 2024.
Cartier Horse of the Year
- 152 – Bluestocking
- 152 – Kyprios
- 144 – Charyn
- 144 – City Of Troy
- 120 – Porta Fortuna
- 96 – Mqse de Sevigne
- 96 – Notable Speech
- 90 – Rebel’s Romance
- 88 – Auguste Rodin
- 88 – Rosallion
Cartier Older Horse
- 152 – Bluestocking
- 144 – Charyn
- 96 – Mqse de Sevigne
- 90 – Rebel’s Romance
- 88 – Auguste Rodin
Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt
- 144 – City Of Troy
- 96 – Notable Speech
- 88 – Rosallion
- 82 – Illinois
- 80 – Economics
- 80 – Los Angeles
Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly
- 120 – Porta Fortuna
- 64 – Aventure
- 64 – Sparkling Plenty
- 56 – Content
- 56 – Ezeliya
- 56 – Friendly Soul
- 56 – Opera Singer
- 56 – Ramatuelle
Cartier Sprinter
- 80 – Bradsell
- 60 – Believing
- 60 – Mill Stream
- 56 – Makarova
- 48 – Inisherin
Cartier Stayer
- 152 – Kyprios
- 56 – Illinois
- 54 – Sweet William
- 48 – Jan Brueghel
- 44 – Grateful
- 44 – Vauban
Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt
- 80 – Whistlejacket
- 48 – Henri Matisse
- 48 – Rashabar
- 40 – Camille Pissarro
- 40 – Shadow Of Light
Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly
- 72 – Lake Victoria
- 44 – Simmering
- 40 – Babouche
- 34 – Daylight
- 32 – Vertical Blue
