Two days of sensational racing across the Irish Champions Festival have seen Economics, Porta Fortuna and Kyprios lay down strong challenges to be crowned Cartier Horse of the Year at this year’s Cartier Racing Awards.
Happy Kyprios connections celebrate second Irish St Leger success (Pic – Supplied)
Economics continued his faultless campaign with a determined victory over defending champion Auguste Rodin in Saturday’s Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown.
Owned by His Highness Sheikh Isa Salman Al Khalifa, the William Haggas-trained colt has amassed 80 Pattern race points in the Cartier Horse of the Year and Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt standings. Economics’ next assignment looks set to be the QIPCO Champion Stakes and victory at Ascot would see him close in on City Of Troy (144) at the head of both categories.
Porta Fortuna (120) enhanced her own Cartier Horse of the Year claims as she comfortably took the Coolmore America ‘Justify’ Matron Stakes on the same Leopardstown card. Trained by Donnacha O’Brien for a US-based syndicate, Porta Fortuna was posting a third consecutive top-level success, performances that have seen her establish a clear lead in the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly division.
The 2022 Cartier Stayer Kyprios (120) continued his dominance of the marathon ranks with a second victory in the Comer Group International Irish St Leger, adding to his wins in this season’s Gold Cup and Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup.
His main opposition for this year’s Cartier Stayer award could come from two horses who struck at Doncaster’s Betfred St Leger Festival. Jan Breughel (48), trained like Kyprios by Aidan O’Brien, edged out stable-companion Illinois (40) in the Betfred St Leger, while Sweet William (54) secured the biggest success of his career in the Betfred Howard Wright Doncaster Cup.
Sunday’s action at the Curragh saw several more impressive displays, with Bradsell (64) beating Believing (52) for a second consecutive time in the Bar One Racing Flying Five Stakes. The Victorious Racing four-year-old, who is trained by Archie Watson, is the only horse to win two G1 sprints in Europe this season and now leads the Cartier Sprinter division.
Scorthy Champ (36) is a significant mover in the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt standings after he denied the previously unbeaten Henri Matisse (48) in the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes.
Lake Victoria (40) showcased her Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly credentials with a decisive victory over Simmering (44) in the Moyglare Stud Stakes, taking her record to three wins from as many starts.
Longchamp hosted the Qatar Arc Trials on Sunday, with Bluestocking (104) displaying her tenacity to take the feature Qatar Prix Vermeille. The Juddmonte homebred, who may be supplemented for the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, was posting her second top-level success of 2024 and lies second in the Cartier Older Horse division.
Charyn (144) continues to lead the Cartier Older Horse award, in addition to sharing top-spot with City Of Troy in the Cartier Horse of the Year standings, following his second to Tribalist (56) in the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp earlier this month.
Cartier Racing Awards – points earned in Pattern races up to and including Sunday, September 15, 2024.
Cartier Horse of the Year
- 144 – Charyn
- 144 – City Of Troy
- 120 – Kyprios
- 120 – Porta Fortuna
- 104 – Bluestocking
- 96 – Mqse de Sevigne
96 – Notable Speech - 88 – Auguste Rodin
- 88 – Rosallion
- 80 – Economics
Cartier Older Horse
- 144 – Charyn
- 104 – Bluestocking
- 96 – Mqse de Sevigne
- 88 – Auguste Rodin
- 66 – Rebel’s Romance
Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt
- 144 – City Of Troy
- 96 – Notable Speech
- 88 – Rosallion
- 80 – Economics
- 68 – Los Angeles
Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly
- 120 – Porta Fortuna
- 56 – Content
- 56 – Ezeliya
- 56 – Opera Singer
- 56 – Sparkling Plenty
Cartier Sprinter
- 64 – Bradsell
- 60 – Mill Stream
- 52 – Believing
- 48 – Inisherin
- 40 – Asfoora
- 40 – Montassib
Cartier Stayer
- 120 – Kyprios
- 54 – Sweet William
- 48 – Jan Brueghel
- 44 – Vauban
- 40 – Illinois
Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt
- 64 – Whistlejacket
- 48 – Henri Matisse
- 36 – Scorthy Champ
- 32 – Rashabar
- 28 – Aesterius
Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly
- 44 – Simmering
- 40 – Babouche
- 40 – Lake Victoria
- 24 – Bedtime Story
- 20 – Celandine
- 20 – Exactly
- 20 – Leovanni
