Magical now tops the standings for Cartier Horse of the Year in 2020 following her third place in the Gr1 QIPCO Champion Stakes, the highlight of QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot on October 17.
The 30th annual Cartier Racing Awards will be awarded in November.
Cartier continues its ongoing support with the presentation of Cartier Racing Awards in 2020, despite the cancellation of the traditional awards ceremony at The Dorchester in London, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The outstanding Magical
Cartier looks forward to resuming the awards ceremony in 2021.
The Gr1 QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot, Britain’s most valuable race of 2020, was won by Addeybb (96), owned by Sheikh Ahmed Al Maktoum and trained by William Haggas.
This was the third success at the highest level for Addeybb this year following his two Australian G1 wins in the spring. Runner-up to Addeybb at Ascot was Skalleti (46) with Magical (120) in third.
Magical, a Galileo mare trained by Aidan O’Brien for a Coolmore syndicate, now heads the standings for both Cartier Horse of the Year and Cartier Older Horse with her Ascot effort taking her narrowly in front of Godolphin’s Ghaiyyath (118), trained by Charlie Appleby.
Interestingly both Magical and Ghaiyyath are five-year-olds and both have won three Gr1 races in 2020.
Ghaiyyath – what a horse
The duo met each other twice in 2020 with the score standing at a 1-1 draw – Ghaiyyath prevailed in the Gr1 Juddmonte International at York in August with Magical getting her revenge in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown the following month.
It was announced on October 19 that Ghaiyyath has been retired to stand at Kildangan Stud in Ireland, while Magical remains a possible starter at the Breeders’ Cup in November.
QIPCO British Champions Day also featured the Gr1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (Sponsored by QIPCO) over a mile which was won by five-year-old The Revenant (48).
Third behind The Revenant, pictured above, after losing a shoe was the previously unbeaten Palace Pier (72), who now joins Pinatubo (72) at the top of the standings in the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt category. Pinatubo has been retired to stand as a stallion at Dalham Hall Stud.
There has also been movement in the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly category with Wonderful Tonight (72) now in contention for honours following her success in the Gr1 QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.
Wonderful Tonight was landing her second Gr1 of the season having taken the Qatar Prix de Royallieu at Longchamp on her previous outing. She now lies in fourth place in the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly category behind Love (96), Fancy Blue (88) and Alpine Star (80).
Jockey Hollie Doyle, pictured above, enjoyed a dream QIPCO British Champions Day with her victories in the opening two races including a career first Gr1 success on Glen Shiel (60) in the QIPCO British Champions Sprint Stakes. Glen Shiel’s Ascot victory moves him up into second in the Cartier Sprinter division behind Battaash (80), who was unbeaten in his three starts this year with Gr1 wins at Royal Ascot and York.
Stradivarius (64) put up a rare below par effort in the Gr2 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup at Ascot, which went to Trueshan (16) under Hollie Doyle. However, six-year-old Stradivarius still holds a commanding lead in the Cartier Stayer category following another superb campaign that yielded a third victory in the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot and a fourth win in the Gr1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup at the Qatar Goodwood Festival.
Cartier Horse Of The Year
- Magical – 120
- Ghaiyyath – 118
- Addeybb – 96
- Love – 96
- Barney Roy – 92
- Fancy Blue – 88
- Nazeef – 88
- Persian King – 88
- Alpine Star – 80
- Battaash – 80
- Stradivarius – 80
Cartier Older Horse
- Magical – 120
- Ghaiyyath – 118
- Addeybb – 96
- Barney Roy- 92
- Nazeef – 88
- Persian King – 88
Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt
- Palace Pier – 72
- Pinatubo – 72
- In Swoop – 60
- Santiago – 56
- Golden Horde – 48
- Kameko – 48
- Mishriff – 48
- The Summit – 48
Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly
- Love – 96
- Fancy Blue – 88
- Alpine Star – 80
- Wonderful Tonight – 72
- Peaceful – 56
Cartier Sprinter
- Battaash – 80
- Glen Shiel – 60
- Glass Slippers – 56
- Dream Of Dreams – 48
- Golden Horde – 48
Cartier Stayer
- Stradivarius – 64
- Nayef Road – 44
- Call The Wind – 40
- Search For A Song – 40
- Enbihaar – 32
- Galileo Chrome – 32
- Pista – 32
- Princess Zoe – 32
- Twilight Payment – 32
- Wonderful Tonight – 32
Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt
- Lucky Vega – 56
- Nando Parrado – 48
- Supremacy – 48
- St Mark’s Basilica – 40
- The Lir Jet – 40
- Thunder Moon – 40
Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly
- Pretty Gorgeous – 68
- Campanelle – 48
- Shale – 48
- Tiger Tanaka – 44
- Alcohol Free – 36
