Enable and Too Darn Hot, superstars of previous European Flat seasons, have emerged as strong contenders for this year’s Cartier Racing Awards following impressive recent victories under Frankie Dettori.
The John Gosden-trained duo have already been honoured at the Cartier Racing Awards, with Enable crowned both Cartier Horse Of The Year and Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly in 2017 as well as receiving the Cartier Older Horse accolade in 2018.
Top-class Enable is in line for further Cartier accolades
Only three outstanding horses, Frankel (five awards), bred and owned like Enable by Khalid Abdullah, Ouija Board and Yeats (both four awards) have been more successful at the Cartier Racing Awards than Enable.
Too Darn Hot gained the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt in 2018 thanks to a brilliant unbeaten first-season campaign.
Dual G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Enable (48 points) made a brilliant start to her five-year-old campaign when beating current Cartier Older Horse category leader and old rival Magical (104) in the G1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown Park on July 6 – her 10th straight victory in a magnificent career, which has yielded 11 successes from 12 starts so far.
The daughter of Nathaniel looks set to head to Ascot for the G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes on July 27, when she is due to face Crystal Ocean (64), who beat Magical in the G1 Princess Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot last month.
A superb renewal of the 12-furlong midsummer highlight is also set to feature two leading Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt Award hopefuls in Anthony Van Dyck (64), who captured the G1 Investec Derby, and Sovereign (38), a surprise six-length winner of the G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby. Both sons of Galileo are trained by Aidan O’Brien for Coolmore partnerships.
Too Darn Hot (64) gained a first victory this season when the impressive winner of the seven-furlong G1 Qatar Prix Jean Prat over seven furlongs at Deauville, France, on July 7 after three placed efforts in 2019.
A step back up to a mile is on the cards for the son of Dubawi, who is owned by Lord Lloyd-Webber and was bred at Lord & Lady Lloyd-Webber’s Watership Down Stud, with the G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes at Qatar Goodwood Festival on July 31 and Deauville’s G1 Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois (August 11) under consideration.
Like Too Darn Hot, Ten Sovereigns (32) enjoyed an unbeaten juvenile season in 2018 and the No Nay Never colt, trained by O’Brien for a Coolmore partnership, also gained his first win of 2019 when scooting away from G1 Commonwealth Cup victor Advertise (48) in the G1 Darley July Cup over six furlongs, the feature race of Newmarket’s Moët & Chandon July Festival on July 13.
Both horses could challenge for Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt and Cartier Sprinter honours, although the recently retired Blue Point (106) still holds a commanding advantage in the latter category.
Blue Point (blue cap) is now retired but holds a commanding advantage
Longchamp’s Bastille Day card on July 14 saw another son of Galileo trained by O’Brien and owned by Coolmore graduate to G1 honours as Japan (60) captured the G1 Grand Prix de Paris and entered calculations for Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt Award.
On the same card, Way To Paris (28) notched a first G2 success when edging out Marmelo in the Prix Maurice de Nieuil. The six-year-old has some ground to make up in the Cartier Stayer standings on the first two home from the G1 Gold Cup Stradivarius (64) and Dee Ex Bee (40), who are on course to clash again in the G1 Qatar Goodwood Cup on July 30.
Stradivarius, trained by Gosden and unbeaten in 2019 and 2018, gained the Cartier Stayer Award last year.
Cartier Racing Awards – points earned in Pattern races up to and including Sunday, July 14, 2019:
Cartier Horse Of The Year
Blue Point 106
Magical 104
Hermosa 96
Anthony Van Dyck 64
Crystal Ocean 64
Stradivarius 64
Too Darn Hot 64
Japan 60
Beat The Bank 56
Defoe 56
Persian King 56
Cartier Older Horse
Magical 104
Crystal Ocean 64
Beat The Bank 56
Defoe 56
Lord Glitters 54
Enable 48
Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt
Anthony Van Dyck 64
Too Darn Hot 64
Japan 60
Persian King 56
Advertise 48
Magna Grecia 48
Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly
Hermosa 96
Anapurna 48
Castle Lady 40
Watch Me 40
Iridessa 34
Cartier Sprinter
Blue Point 106
Advertise 48
Battaash 32
Ten Sovereigns 32
Hello Youmzain 24
Invincible Army 24
Cartier Stayer
Stradivarius 64
Dee Ex Bee 40
Way To Paris 28
Master Of Reality 20
Called To The Bar 18
