Fancy Blue is the new leader in the race to be crowned Cartier Horse of the Year 2020 following her success in the Gr1 Qatar Nassau Stakes at the Qatar Goodwood Festival on July 30.
The Cartier Racing Awards were established in 1991 to reward excellence in horseracing.
There are eight equine awards – the Cartier Horse Of The Year, the Cartier Older Horse, the Cartier Sprinter, the Cartier Stayer, the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt, the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly, the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt and the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly.
The 30th annual Cartier Racing Awards will be awarded in November. Cartier continues its ongoing support with the presentation of Cartier Racing Awards in 2020, despite the cancellation of the traditional awards ceremony at The Dorchester in London, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Cartier looks forward to resuming the awards ceremony in 2021.
A daughter of leading Japanese stallion Deep Impact, Fancy Blue (80 points) was winning her second Gr1 contest of the 2020 campaign when scoring at Goodwood, having previously been successful in the Prix de Diane Longines (French Oaks) at Chantilly on July 5. She began the year by finishing runner-up in the G1 Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas at the Curragh in June. Owned by a Coolmore syndicate, she is handled by former jockey Donnacha O’Brien who is enjoying a fantastic first season as a trainer.
Fancy Blue heads the standings for Cartier Horse of the Year ahead of Stradivarius and Way To Paris (both on 72 points). She also leads the way in the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly division ahead of Love (64), who has two Classics to her name following victories in the QIPCO 1000 Guineas and Investec Oaks.
Stradivarius, trained by John Gosden for owner-breeder Bjorn Nielsen, was also in action at the Qatar Goodwood Festival where he was victorious for the fourth time in the Gr1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup.
He currently holds a clear lead in the Cartier Stayer category, ahead of Nayef Road (40), runner-up to Stradivarius at both Royal Ascot in the Gr1 Gold Cup and at Goodwood. Crowned Cartier Stayer in both 2018 and 2019, connections have indicated that a drop in trip is now on the cards for Stradivarius with a crack at the G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe his principal target.
A horse to have won the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe twice (2017 & 2018) is Enable (48) who created history at Ascot on July 25 when becoming the first triple winner of the G1 King George VI & Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes. The six-year-old Nathaniel mare, owned and bred by Khalid Abdullah and trained by John Gosden, was Cartier Horse of the Year in 2017 and 2019. No horse has yet been Cartier Horse of the Year three times, with Enable currently sharing two titles with Frankel (2011 & 2012) and Ouija Board (2004 & 2006).
Battaash (48) has established a clear lead in the Cartier Sprinter division with two sparkling performances this year. Successful on his seasonal debut in the G1 King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, he broke his own track record when winning the G2 King George Qatar Stakes for the fourth year in succession at the Qatar Goodwood Festival on July 31.
The Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt category sees Pinatubo and Santiago tying for the lead on 56 points each. Godolphin’s Pinatubo was named Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt in 2019 and recorded his first G1 success of 2020 in the Qatar Prix Jean Prat at Deauville on July 12. Santiago landed his first two starts of the year, including the G1 Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby, before finishing third to Stradivarius at Goodwood.
In the Cartier Older Horse division, it is still Way To Paris (72) in the lead following a consistent campaign that saw the seven-year-old enjoy a first G1 victory in the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud on June 28. He is closely pursued by two Godolphin horses from the stable of Charlie Appleby – G1 Hurworth Bloodstock Coronation Cup Stakes and G1 Coral-Eclipse winner Ghaiyyath (70) and Barney Roy (68), who recently landed the G1 Grosser Dallmayr-Preis – Bayerisches Zuchtrennen at Munich, Germany.
The 30th annual Cartier Racing Awards will be awarded in November 2020.
Cartier Racing Awards – points earned in Pattern races up to and including Sunday, August 2, 2020
Cartier Horse Of The Year
Fancy Blue – 80
Stradivarius – 72
Way To Paris – 72
Ghaiyyath – 70
Barney Roy – 68
Addeybb – 64
Love – 64
Magical – 64
Nazeef – 56
Pinatubo – 56
Santiago – 56
Cartier Older Horse
Way To Paris – 72
Ghaiyyath – 70
Barney Roy – 68
Addeybb – 64
Magical – 64
Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt
Pinatubo – 56
Santiago – 56
Victor Ludorum – 42
Siskin – 40
The Summit – 40
Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly
Fancy Blue – 80
Love – 64
Alpine Star – 48
Peaceful – 40
Dream And Do – 36
Cartier Sprinter
Battaash – 48
Golden Horde – 40
Oxted – 40
Hello Youmzain – 32
A’Ali – 24
Sceptical – 24
Cartier Stayer
Stradivarius – 64
Nayef Road – 40
Santiago – 24
Twilight Payment – 24
San Huberto – 20
