The magnificent grey Galileo filly Winter (116) continues to head both the Cartier Horse Of The Year and Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly standings on Pattern race points following an outstanding first half of the season.
Aidan O’Brien trains Winter
The Galileo filly, trained by Aidan O’Brien for a Coolmore partnership, has gained decisive Gr1 victories in the QIPCO 1000 Guineas, the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas and the Coronation Stakes, all at a mile, and is on target for the 10-furong Gr1 Qatar Nassau Stakes at the Qatar Goodwood Festival on Thursday, August 3.
Impressive Gr1 victories by Enable and Harry Angel, plus a tremendous run in defeat from Barney Roy, have seen the three-year-old generation strengthen their claims for Cartier Horse Of The Year honours at this year’s Cartier Racing Awards in November.
Having captured the Gr1 Investec Oaks impressively by five lengths on June 3, Enable (80) became the 14th filly to follow up victory at Epsom Downs with more Classic success in the Gr1 Darley Irish Oaks at the Curragh on July 15, when she quickened clear for an authoritative five and a half-length verdict.
Owned by Khalid Abdullah and trained by John Gosden in Newmarket, the daughter of Nathaniel now looks set to take on the colts in some of Europe’s premier middle-distance contests, with the Gr1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Sponsored By QIPCO) and Gr1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe among the races under consideration.
Roly Poly – top class sort
Roly Poly (64), also trained by O’Brien for Coolmore, was runner-up in both the QIPCO 1000 Guineas and the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas, and the War Front filly advertised the form of those races when winning the Gr1 Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes at last week’s Newmarket July Festival on July 14.
Three-year-old colt Harry Angel (68), owned by Godolphin and trained by Clive Cox, leapt to the top of the standings for the Cartier Sprinter Award with a scintillating victory in the Gr1 Darley July Cup on the final day of that festival, July 15.
The son of Dark Angel readily beat a top-quality field that included top older sprinters Tasleet (32), The Tin Man (32) and Limato (24) as well as fellow three-year-old Caravaggio (40), who lost his unbeaten record after having defeated Harry Angel in the Gr1 Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.
It was a second Darley July Cup victory for Cox, whose previous winner Lethal Force went on to be crowned Cartier Sprinter at the 2013 Cartier Racing Awards.
Ulysses after the Coral Eclipse
The Gr1 Coral-Eclipse at Sandown Park on July 8 provided the first opportunity for the top middle distance three-year-olds to take on older opposition and this year’s race produced a thrilling battle of the generations, with four-year-old Ulysses (68) beating his younger rival Barney Roy (104) by a nose.
Barney Roy, successful in the Gr1 St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, currently leads the race for the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt Award and the Richard Hannon-trained son of Excelebration, owned by Godolphin, could face a rematch with his Sandown Park conqueror in the G1 Juddmonte Stakes at York in August.
Several further mouth-watering clashes between the generations may take place over the coming weeks, with Gr1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Sponsored By QIPCO) at Ascot on July 29 followed by the Qatar Goodwood Festival, which runs between August 1 and 5.
The G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes, run over a mile at Goodwood on August 2, is the aim of both the leading Cartier Older Horse, Godolphin’s Ribchester (86), and this year’s QIPCO 2000 Guineas and Irish 2,000 Guineas victor, Coolmore’s Churchill (80). The £1-million race is developing into another “Duel on the Downs”.
Big Orange – gutsy performer
Everyone’s favourite, the gutsy Big Orange (56), currently top of the Cartier Stayer standings, is out to try and become the second horse ever to win three runnings of the Gr1 Qatar Goodwood Cup on August 1.
Cartier Racing Awards – points earned in Pattern races up to and including Sunday, July 16, 2017
Cartier Horse Of The Year
Winter 116
Barney Roy 104
Ribchester 86
Churchill 80
Decorated Knight 80
Enable 80
Highland Reel 80
Thunder Snow 78
Brametot 72
Harry Angel 68
Ulysses 68
Cartier Older Horse
Ribchester 86
Decorated Knight 80
Highland Reel 80
Ulysses 68
Cloth Of Stars 56
Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt
Barney Roy 104
Churchill 80
Thunder Snow 78
Brametot 72
Harry Angel 68
Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly
Winter 116
Enable 80
Roly Poly 64
Rhododendron 48
Senga 44
Cartier Sprinter
Harry Angel 68
Caravaggio 40
Tasleet 32
Lady Aurelia 32
The Tin Man 32
Cartier Stayer
Big Orange 56
Vazirabad 31
Order Of St George 28
Polarisation 24
Dartmouth 16
Stradivarius 16
Rekindling 16
Marmelo 16
Talismanic 16
