City Of Troy’s superb victory in the Juddmonte International has seen the Coolmore colt establish a clear lead in the points standings for the Cartier Horse of the Year.
City Of Troy lowered the course record as he made all under Ryan Moore to beat fellow three-year-old Calandagan (56) by a length in a thrilling renewal of York’s feature race.
Aidan O’Brien’s City Of Troy – leads the pack! (Pic – Ballydoyle Racing)
The son of Justify was adding to his wins in the Betfred Derby and Coral-Eclipse and has amassed 144 points in Pattern races this season, providing him with a significant advantage in both the Cartier Horse of the Year and the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt divisions.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien for a Coolmore partnership, City Of Troy could now make an audacious switch to dirt for the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar in November, a race in which only Arcangues (1993) and Raven’s Pass (2008) have triumphed for European trainers.
The closest pursuers to City Of Troy in the Cartier Horse of the Year standings include two Cartier Older Horse contenders boasting recent victories at Deauville’s Barriere Meeting.
Charyn (128) backed up his impressive Queen Anne Stakes success with another dominant display in the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques Le Marois, while Mqse de Sevigne (96) completed the Prix Rothschild-Sumbe Prix Jean Romanet double for a second successive year.
In addition to City Of Troy, a superb Ebor Festival for Coolmore, O’Brien and Moore also saw Content (56) reverse the form of the Juddmonte Irish Oaks as she edged out You Got To Me (48) in Thursday’s Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks. Both look set to bid for more top-level honours during the autumn and could challenge Porta Fortuna (88) at the head of the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly standings.
Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby victor Los Angeles (68) struck for the same owner/trainer/jockey combination as he gamely defied a G1 penalty in the Great Voltigeur Stakes, earning the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt hopeful a tilt at some significant late-season targets.
Bradsell (32) added his name to a wide-open Cartier Sprinter division with victory in the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes on Friday, a race that also featured Believing (36), Asfoora (40), Ponntos (30) and Big Evs (24). Trained by Archie Watson for Victorious Racing, Bradsell has bounced back from a fractured fetlock and is unbeaten in both his starts this year.
Gold Cup fourth Vauban (28) notched his first win of 2024 in the Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup Stakes on the same day. Double Major (38) also enhanced his Cartier Stayer claims with a dominant win in the Sumbe Prix Kergorlay at Deauville earlier in the month, although Kyprios (88) continues to hold a commanding lead in the category.
Whistlejacket (64) sets the early pace in the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt division following his victory over Rashabar (32) in the Sumbe Prix Morny at Deauville. Henri Matisse (32), trained like Whistlejacket by Aidan O’Brien for a Coolmore partnership, also ranks highly following an unbeaten start to his career that has yielded wins in the GAIN Railway Stakes and Coolmore Stud Wootton Bassett Irish EBF Futurity Stakes.
Babouche (40) had Whistlejacket a length and a half in arrears when taking the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes. A Juddmonte homebred trained by Ger Lyons, the daughter of Kodiac leads the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly standings ahead of Prix du Calvados winner Simmering (28) and Alpha Centauri Debutante Stakes scorer Bedtime Story (24).
The 34th Cartier Racing Awards will be presented at the Dorchester Hotel in London on the evening of Wednesday, November 20.
Cartier Racing Awards – points earned in Pattern races up to and including Sunday, August 25, 2024.
Cartier Horse of the Year
- 144 City Of Troy
- 128 Charyn
- 96 Mqse de Sevigne
- 96 Notable Speech
- 88 Kyprios
- 88 Porta Fortuna
- 88 Rosallion
- 72 Bluestocking
- 68 Los Angeles
- 66 Rebel’s Romance
Cartier Older Horse
- 128 Charyn
- 96 Mqse de Sevigne
- 72 Bluestocking
- 66 Rebel’s Romance
- 64 Auguste Rodin
- 64 Goliath
Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt
- 144 City Of Troy
- 96 Notable Speech
- 88 Rosallion
- 68 Los Angeles
- 64 Metropolitan
Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly
- 88 Porta Fortuna
- 56 Content
- 56 Ezeliya
- 56 Opera Singer
- 56 Sparkling Plenty
Cartier Sprinter
- 60 Mill Stream
- 48 Inisherin
- 40 Asfoora
- 39 Star Of Mystery
- 36 Believing
- 32 Bradsell
- 32 Khaadem
- 32 Lazzat
- 32 Swingalong
Cartier Stayer
- 88 Kyprios
- 38 Double Major
- 38 Sweet William
- 34 Tower Of London
- 28 Vauban
Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt
- 64 Whistlejacket
- 32 Henri Matisse
- 32 Rashabar
- 24 Arabie
- 24 Arizona Blaze
Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly
- 40 Babouche
- 28 Simmering
- 24 Bedtime Story
- 20 Celandine
- 20 Leovanni
