Brilliant sprinter Blue Point has stormed to the head of the Cartier Horse Of The Year standings following an exceptional Gr1 double at Royal Ascot last week.
The Godolphin-owned five-year-old, trained by Charlie Appleby, became only the second horse in 99 years to follow up victory in the five-furlong Gr1 King’s Stand Stakes, on June 18, by taking the Gr1 Diamond Jubilee Stakes over a furlong further just four days later.
Top-class Blue Point
Blue Point (106 points) was retired shortly afterwards to join his sire Shamardal at Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket, having been victorious on all five of his starts this year, including when capturing the six-furlong Gr1 Al Quoz Sprint Sponsored By Azizi Developments at Meydan, UAE, in March.
He may yet gain another rare double by emulating Lochsong, the only horse to be crowned Cartier Sprinter and Cartier Horse Of The Year in the same year in 1993.
Five magnificent days at Royal Ascot also saw Crystal Ocean (64) enter the reckoning in the Cartier Older Horse category with a breakthrough first Gr1 success in the 10-furlong Prince Of Wales’s Stakes on June 19, in which he stayed on well to beat Magical (80) and Waldgeist (44).
Sir Michael Stoute
The Sir Michael Stoute-trained five-year-old, who races in the colours of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, has been a model of consistency throughout his career, finishing in the first three in all 15 outings.
Six-year-old Lord Glitters (54), trained by David O’Meara in Yorkshire for Geoff and Sandra Turnbull, succeeded at Gr1 level for the first time as well when gamely winning the Queen Anne Stakes over a mile on June 18.
Sheikh Mohammed Obaid’s Defoe (56) also enhanced his Cartier Older Horse claims at Royal Ascot when following up victory in the Gr1 Investec Coronation Cup earlier this month with success in the 12-furlong Gr2 Hardwicke Stakes for trainer Roger Varian on June 22.
Hermosa (96) increased her advantage at the head of the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly standings, but the Aidan O’Brien-trained daughter of Galileo, who is owned by a Coolmore partnership, could only finish second behind Watch Me (40) in the G1 Coronation Stakes over the round mile.
Watch Me’s impressive display capped a remarkable six days for French handler Francis-Henri Graffard, who sent out Channel (32) to capture another major prize for three-year-old fillies, the French Classic, the G1 Prix de Diane Longines, at Chantilly, on June 16.
Three-year-old colt Circus Maximus (32) benefitted from first-time blinkers and the return to a mile, as he defeated King Of Comedy and last year’s Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt Too Darn Hot (32) in the G1 St James’s Palace Stakes on June 18.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien for a Coolmore partnership, Circus Maximus previously finished sixth behind stablemate Anthony Van Dyck (48) in the premier British Classic, the G1 Investec Derby, at Epsom Downs on June 1.
Martyn Meade’s stable star Advertise (32) entered Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt and Cartier Sprinter calculations with a determined victory in the G1 Commonwealth Cup on June 21, his first start over six furlongs since landing the G1 Keeneland Phoenix Stakes at the Curragh, Ireland, in August.
The 2018 Cartier Stayer Stradivarius (64) looks strongly placed to retain his crown after becoming only the third horse this century, after Royal Rebel and Yeats, to win successive runnings of the Gold Cup on June 20.
Stardivarius outstays them
Bjorn Nielsen’s homebred, trained by John Gosden, had too much class for his main market rival Dee Ex Bee (40), previously unbeaten in two starts this season, and Irish challenger Master Of Reality (20).
Cartier Racing Awards – points earned in Pattern races up to and including Sunday, June 23, 2019
Cartier Horse Of The Year
Blue Point 106
Hermosa 96
Magical 80
Crystal Ocean 64
Stradivarius 64
Defoe 56
Persian King 56
Lord Glitters 54
Anapurna 48
Anthony Van Dyck 48
Magna Grecia 48
Cartier Older Horse
Magical 80
Crystal Ocean 64
Defoe 56
Lord Glitters 54
Waldgeist 44
Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt
Persian King 56
Anthony Van Dyck 48
Magna Grecia 48
Advertise 32
Circus Maximus 32
Phoenix Of Spain 32
Sottsass 32
Too Darn Hot 32
Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly
Hermosa 96
Anapurna 48
Castle Lady 40
Watch Me 40
Channel 32
Commes 32
Lady Kaya 32
Siyarafina 32
Cartier Sprinter
Blue Point 106
Advertise 32
Battaash 32
Hello Youmzain 24
Calyx 16
Dream Of Dreams 16
Forever In Dreams 16
Inns Of Court 16
Invincible Army 16
Mr Lupton 16
Sestilio Jet 16
Cartier Stayer
Stradivarius 64
Dee Ex Bee 40
Master Of Reality 20
Called To The Bar 18
Dashing Willoughby 16
Amade 12
Cross Counter 12
Ispolini 12
Raa Atoll 12
Way To Paris 12
