Royal Ascot winners Palace Pier and Poetic Flare are tied at the top of the Cartier Horse Of The Year standings following their victories at Royal Ascot last week.
Both Palace Pier and Poetic Flare currently have 96 points in the Cartier Horse Of The Year standings after establishing themselves as the best milers of their generations.
Four-year-old Palace Pier, trained by John & Thady Gosden for Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, cemented his status as the world’s best older horse over a mile when recording his fourth G1 victory in the Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 15.
Palace Pier
Poetic Flare has emerged as the top miler of the Classic crop following a remarkable start to his season for breeder/trainer Jim Bolger that included a stunning success in the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes at the Royal Meeting on June 15.
The son of 2012 Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt Dawn Approach had previously run in all three major mile Classics for colts, winning the QIPCO 2000 Guineas, finishing sixth in the Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains and going down by a short-head in the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas.
Poetic Flare
Other contenders in the Cartier Horse Of The Year standings include the Aidan O’Brien-trained Mother Earth (72), who followed up her QIPCO 1000 Guineas win and Emirates Poule d’Essai des Pouliches second with a third in the Gr1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 18.
St Mark’s Basilica (64), owned like Mother Earth by a Coolmore partnership and also trained by Aidan O’Brien, has already established himself as one of the stars of 2021 with victories in the G1 Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains and the G1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club.
Palace Pier, who was crowned last season’s Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt, also leads the way in the Cartier Older Horse standings, ahead of Gr1 Prix d’Ispahan scorer Skalleti (56).
Last year’s Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly Love made an impressive return to action at Royal Ascot with victory in the Gr1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes for Aidan O’Brien and a Coolmore partnership on June 16.
She currently has 48 points in the Cartier Older Horse category, along with stable-companion Broome, who finished second in the G2 Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 19. Helvic Dream, Lady Bowthorpe, Mare Australis and Pyledriver also feature among the early contenders in the same category with 40 points each.
Poetic Flare (96) and St Mark’s Basilica (64) lead the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt category ahead of G1 Cazoo Derby victor Adayar (52).
Mother Earth heads fellow Classic winners Snowfall (56) and Joan Of Arc (56) in the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly division, with the latter having provided Aidan O’Brien with a historic first success in the Gr1 Prix de Diane Longines at Chantilly on June 20.
Alcohol Free, winner of the Gr1 Coronation Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 18, and G1 Coolmore Prix Saint-Alary heroine Incarville are next on 40 points.
Oxted
Oxted (40) heads the Cartier Sprinter category following his win in the Gr1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 15.
American star Campanelle (32) made a triumphant return to action as she was awarded the G1 Commonwealth Cup at the Royal Meeting on June 18 following a stewards’ enquiry.
Having filled the runner-up spot for the past two years, Dream Of Dreams (32) recorded a deserved success in the G1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot on June 19, while the David Evans-trained Rohaan (24) continues to be one of the success stories of the season, landing the Wokingham Handicap on his latest start on June 19.
There is a new name atop the Cartier Stayer standings following Subjectivist’s win for trainer Mark Johnston in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot on June 17. The Dr Jim Walker-owned four-year-old has 60 points, ahead of Spanish Mission (28) and Princess Zoe (24) who were third and second in the staying highlight.
Cartier Racing Awards – points earned in Pattern races up to and including Sunday, June 20, 2021
- Cartier Horse Of The Year
Palace Pier 96
Poetic Flare 96
Mother Earth 72
St Mark’s Basilica 64
Subjectivist 60
Joan Of Arc 56
Skalleti 56
Snowfall 56
Adayar 52
Broome 48
Love 48
- Cartier Older Horse
Palace Pier 96
Skalleti 56
Broome 48
Love 48
Helvic Dream 40
Lady Bowthorpe 40
Mare Australis 40
Pyledriver 40
- Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt
Poetic Flare 96
St Mark’s Basilica 64
Adayar 52
Mac Swiney 32
Master Of The Seas 32
- Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly
Mother Earth 72
Joan Of Arc 56
Snowfall 56
Alcohol Free 40
Incarville 40
- Cartier Sprinter
Oxted 40
Campanelle 32
Dream Of Dreams 32
Dragon Symbol 24
Rohaan 24
- Cartier Stayer
Subjectivist 60
Spanish Mission 28
Princess Zoe 24
Skazino 24
Baron Samedi 20
