This weekend’s Breeders’ Cup meeting could have a crucial bearing on the 2018 Cartier Racing Awards winners with Roaring Lion and reigning Cartier Horse Of The Year Enable headlining a powerful group of European horses due to run at the two-day spectacular at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Kentucky, USA on Friday and Saturday.
Enable – champion
Roaring Lion (222 points) currently holds a clear lead on points in both the Cartier Horse Of The Year and the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt categories, and victory in the 10-furlong Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday would boost his leading position.
The son of Kitten’s Joy, owned by Qatar Racing Limited and trained by John Gosden in Newmarket, has already gained four consecutive Gr1 wins on turf this year, but will be experiencing dirt for the first time in the US$6-million highlight on Saturday.
Gosden will also be represented on the same card by the tremendous four-year-old Nathaniel filly Enable (56), who is aiming to become the first horse to follow up victory in the Gr1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, which she also won in 2017, with success in the Gr1 Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf over 12 furlongs.
Despite missing the majority of the season through injury, Khalid Abdullah’s filly could still challenge for the Cartier Horse Of The Year Award and the Cartier Older Horse Award due to the unique nature of the Cartier Racing Awards, especially if she triumphs on Saturday. She has been successful on nine of her 10 career starts to date.
John Gosden (photo: Investec)
Gosden is certainly in a strong position to be responsible for the Cartier Horse Of The Year for the fourth time in the last five years, thanks to also having dual runaway G1 QIPCO Champion Stakes victor Cracksman (136) and top stayer Stradivarius (128) in contention. The trainer’s previous recipients of the Cartier Horse of the Year have been Kingman (2014), Golden Horn (2015) and Enable (2017).
Roaring Lion will be joined in the Breeders’ Cup Classic by two further European challengers, who have both won at Meydan, UAE, this year including Cartier Older Horse contender Thunder Snow (66), whose in-form trainer Saeed bin Suroor has captured four G1 races already this month.
The four-year-old Helmet colt, owned by Godolphin, is bidding to become the first horse to win the G1 Dubai World Cup Sponsored By Emirates Airline and the Breeders’ Cup Classic in the same year.
Mendelssohn (31) stormed to victory in the G2 UAE Derby Sponsored By Saeed & Mohammed Al Naboodah Group at Meydan in March and the Coolmore-owned colt, trained by Aidan O’Brien, could yet enter calculations for Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt.
Enable’s rivals in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf are set to include the Andre Fabre-trained duo of defending champion Talismanic and Waldgeist (72), who may make a late bid for Cartier Older Horse after finishing fourth in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly contender Magical (48), representing the same connections as Mendelssohn, will line up the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf as well following a breakthrough first G1 success in the QIPCO British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes at Ascot on October 20.
Charlie Appleby and Godolphin teamed up to win the G1 Maker’s Mark Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Turf with Wuheida 12 months ago and the same trainer/owner combination have another strong challenger for the race this year in Wild Illusion (96).
The three-year-old daughter of Dubawi has gained G1 wins on her two latest appearances, most recently when beating Magic Wand (48), who re-opposes, in the G1 Prix de l’Opera Longines at Longchamp on October 7.
Lightning Spear (76), trained by David Simcock for Qatar Racing Limited, will be aiming to advertise his Cartier Older Horse claims in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Mile – a race that will additionally feature three-year-olds Expert Eye (52) and I Can Fly (42).
This year’s Cartier Sprinter category has proved to be one of the most open in recent years, and the Karl Burke-trained Havana Grey (48), owned by Global Racing Club & Elaine Burke, could land a decisive blow by taking the Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
Future Stars Friday at the Breeders’ Cup on November 2 is set to feature several juveniles who are in the points’ standings for Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt and Cartier Two-Year-Old Old Filly.
Coolmore’s Anthony Van Dyck (48) could go to the head of the points in the race to be crowned Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt with victory in the G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, while the Archie-Watson-trained Soldier’s Call (34) is aiming to make inroads in the same category by taking the inaugural G1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.
European runners in the Gr1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf are headed by G1 Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Lily’s Candle (32) and Godolphin’s La Pelosa (32), winner of the G1 Natalma Stakes at Woodbine, Canada, in September.
Harry Herbert, racing consultant to the Cartier Awards, commented: “There is a strong European challenge for the 2018 Breeders’ Cup and the performances of Enable and Roaring Line at Churchill Downs will help determine the winner of the Cartier Horse Of The Year Award.
“Other Cartier Racing Awards are still in the balance and Breeders’ Cup races will play their part as could the G1 Lexus Melbourne Cup at Flemington, Australia before public voting ends at noon (British time) on Tuesday, November 6.”
Cartier Horse Of The Year
Roaring Lion 222
Alpha Centauri 160
Laurens 152
Poet’s Word 140
Cracksman 136
Stradivarius 128
Recoletos 104
Saxon Warrior 104
Benbatl 102
Wild Illusion 96
Sea Of Class 88
Crystal Ocean 84
Kew Gardens 84
Enable 56
Cartier Older Horse
Poet’s Word 140
Cracksman 136
Recoletos 104
Benbatl 102
Crystal Ocean 84
Coronet 76
Lightning Spear 76
Waldgeist 72
Thunder Snow 66
Best Solution 64
Urban Fox 64
Enable 56
Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt
Roaring Lion 222
Saxon Warrior 104
Kew Gardens 84
Sands Of Mali 72
Masar 68
Flag Of Honour 58
Study Of Man 56
Expert Eye 52
Latrobe 52
Mendelssohn 31
Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly
Alpha Centauri 160
Laurens 152
Wild Illusion 96
Sea Of Class 88
Forever Together 80
With You 60
Billesdon Brook 48
Magic Wand 48
Magical 48
I Can Fly 42
Cartier Sprinter
Sands Of Mali 72
Mabs Cross 68
Battaash 48
Brando 48
Havana Grey 48
Merchant Navy 48
Blue Point 46
Eqtidaar 36
Alpha Delphini 34
Harry Angel 32
The Tin Man 32
U S Navy Flag 32
Cartier Stayer
Stradivarius 128
Holdthasigreen 68
Flag Of Honour 56
Vazirabad 55
Kew Gardens 48
Torcedor 36
Call The Wind 32
Marmelo 32
Thomas Hobson 24
Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt
Advertise 72
Too Darn Hot 56
Anthony Van Dyck 48
Quorto 48
Ten Sovereigns 40
Magna Grecia 36
Soldier’s Call 34
Phoenix Of Spain 32
Royal Marine 32
Broome 24
Kessaar 24
Marie’s Diamond 24
Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly
Skitter Scatter 60
Pretty Pollyanna 56
Fairyland 50
Hermosa 48
Signora Cabello 48
Iridessa 32
La Pelosa 32
Lily’s Candle 32
So Perfect 32
The Mackem Bullet 26
