A feast of top-class action on Irish Champions Weekend and at Doncaster’s William Hill St Leger Festival has ensured a shake up in the standings for this year’s Cartier Racing Awards.
Magical (168 points) has regained top spot in the Cartier Horse Of The Year and Cartier Older Horse categories after securing her second Gr1 of the campaign in the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on September 14, day one of Irish Champions Weekend.
Magical leads the way
Aidan O’Brien’s star filly has yet to finish outside of the first two in seven starts in 2019 and the four-year-old is now set for a rematch with her chief rival Enable (128), who has had her measure twice this season, in the Gr1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on October 6.
Magical started the season with a hat-trick of wins in Ireland, headlined by a seven-length success in the G1 Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh on May 26.
Star stayer Stradivarius (128) could be a contender for Cartier Horse Of The Year honours after a smooth victory in the G2 Magners Rose Doncaster Cup on September 13. Trained by John Gosden, Bjorn Nielsen’s homebred is now unbeaten in his last 10 starts.
Gosden dominates the Cartier Stayer category, with Stradivarius joined in the standings by stablemates Logician (48) and four-year-old filly Enbihaar (36). Both horses were also in winning action at Doncaster – Logician captured the final Classic of the season, the G1 William Hill St Leger, in a track record time, while Enbihaar landed her third G2 prize of the season in the DFS Park Hill Stakes.
John Gosden
Another Gosden-trained runner Star Catcher (80) closed the gap on dual Classic winner Hermosa (112) in the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly division. Star Catcher followed up her G1 Kerrygold Irish Oaks triumph with a front-running success in the G1 Qatar Prix Vermeille at Longchamp, France, on September 15. Hermosa meanwhile had gone down narrowly to Iridessa (66) in the G1 Coolmore “Fastnet Rock” Matron Stakes at Leopardstown the previous afternoon.
The Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt division is finely poised with the now retired Too Darn Hot (112) holding a slight advantage over G1 Juddmonte International victor Japan (108), with G1 Royal Ascot scorers Circus Maximus (88) and Advertise (80) also in contention.
Advertise was unable make ground on Blue Point (106) in the Cartier Sprinter category, having been forced to miss the Betfair Sprint Cup on September 7. The Haydock Park contest was won in good style from the front by Hello Youmzain (56) and also featured Fairyland (40), who turned out quickly again to win the G1 Derrinstown Stud Flying Five Stakes at the Curragh on September 15.
Godolphin starlet Pinatubo (48) is the standout contender for Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt honours after devastating nine-length victory in the G1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes at the Curragh on September 15, day two of Irish Champions Weekend. The unbeaten Shamardal colt is tied on points with A’Ali and Threat, who both bagged G2 contests at Doncaster last week, plus G1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes victor Siskin.
Love (40) moved into contention for Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly award with a narrow victory over Daahyeh (32) in the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh on September 15. The Mark Johnston-trained Raffle Prize (48) leads the category after G2 wins at Royal Ascot and Newmarket’s Moët & Chandon July Festival as well as a second against the boys in the G1 Darley Prix Morny on August 18.
Cartier Horse Of The Year
Magical 168
Enable 128
Stradivarius 128
Crystal Ocean 112
Hermosa 112
Too Darn Hot 112
Japan 108
Blue Point 106
Circus Maximus 88
Advertise 80
Battaash 80
Romanised 80
Star Catcher 80
Cartier Older Horse
Magical 168
Enable 128
Stradivarius 128
Crystal Ocean 112
Blue Point 106
Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt
Too Darn Hot 112
Japan 108
Circus Maximus 88
Advertise 80
Anthony Van Dyck 76
Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly
Hermosa 112
Star Catcher 80
Iridessa 66
Anapurna 48
Castle Lady 40
Fairyland 40
Pink Dogwood 40
Watch Me 40
Cartier Sprinter
Blue Point 106
Advertise 80
Battaash 80
Hello Youmzain 56
Fairyland 40
Cartier Stayer
Stradivarius 128
Dee Ex Bee 64
Logician 48
Enbihaar 36
Search For A Song 32
Sir Ron Preistley 32
Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt
A’Ali 48
Pinatubo 48
Siskin 48
Threat 48
Armory 40
Earthlight 40
Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly
Raffle Prize 48
Love 40
Daahyeh 32
Tropbeau 24
Living In The Past 18
