The 31st annual Cartier Racing Awards were presented at a glittering ceremony at the Dorchester Hotel in London on the evening of Wednesday, November 10.
St Mark’s Basilica saw off competition from Baaeed, Mishriff and Torquator Tasso to take the evening’s premier equine accolade, the Cartier Horse Of The Year award.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained three-year-old was unbeaten in four starts at G1 level this year, dominating the best of his generation in the Emirates Poule d’Essai des Poulains and Qatar Prix du Jockey Club before overcoming all-aged opposition in the Coral-Eclipse and Irish Champion Stakes.
St Mark’s Basilica, who raced in the colours of Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier and Michael Tabor, becomes the sixth horse owned by a member of a Coolmore partnership to win Cartier Horse Of The Year following Giant’s Causeway (2000), Rock Of Gibraltar (2002), Hurricane Run (2005), Dylan Thomas (2007) and Minding (2016). The son of Siyouni also received the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt award.
On receiving the Cartier Horse Of The Year award from Laurent Feniou, Managing Director of Cartier UK, Paul Smith, son of Derrick Smith, said: “Thank you very much, it’s a huge honour to win this award, it really is. It’s extra special to me – he’s in the purple and white, my father’s colours. Thank you so, so much. We look forward to seeing him in his second career at stud now.”
Smith also accepted the Cartier-Three-Year-Old colt prize and added: “I’d like to say thank you to the Racing Post, to Cartier and to the Daily Telegraph for hosting tonight’s event. It’s been a superb evening. I’d like to thank the five jockeys who rode St Mark’s Basilica. I’d like to thank Aidan and all the team at Ballydoyle and I’d like to thank Bob Scarborough who bred the horse. This is for them. Thank you.”
He continued after the ceremony: “St Mark’s Basilica had a great mind. I remember Aidan O’Brien saying that he had the temperament of Galileo and the speed of Siyouni. Those were his key attributes. I think when he came back from France as a three-year-old it was important for him to showcase himself to the British public when he took on Mishriff and Addeybb in the Coral-Eclipse. I think that was a big moment.
“We’re very privileged. Ryan Moore was very complimentary about the horse when winning at Sandown and he had some high quality horses behind him. His Leopardstown win was full of high quality. He took on Tarnawa, Poetic Flare and Patrick Sarsfield, they are all great horses. It came down to guts, determination and speed and he got that done as well.
“I think he is very important going forward. We lost the great Galileo and – going forward – this guy ticks all the boxes and he is going to be a very, very exciting prospect at stud. It’s very difficult to win these awards so it is the icing on the cake, especially given the horse raced in my father’s colours. Obviously we lost the great Galileo but we’re looking forward to St Mark’s Basilica. His pedigree, attributes, his mind, temperament and looks are outstanding. It’s exciting times going forward. We’re so lucky to win these awards. The competition is so hot, we’ve got brilliant staff and we are very, very blessed.”
Last year’s Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt Palace Pier took Cartier Older Horse honours for John and Thady Gosden and owner Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum. A dual G1 winner at three, Palace Pier won four of his five starts this term, including G1 victories in the Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes, the Queen Anne Stakes and the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois.
Jono Mills, Bloodstock Director for Godolphin and Darley, received the award and said: “On behalf of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, I would like to thank Cartier, the Racing Post, the Daily Telegraph and everybody who have put this amazing evening on. It really is a great celebration of this wonderful sport of British racing. I would like to thank John and Thady Gosden for their wonderful management of Palace Pier this year and all the team at Clarehaven for their wonderful job. Thank you very much indeed.”
Coolmore partners Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier and Michael Tabor picked up a third award on the night with Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly Snowfall. Trained by Aidan O’Brien, the daughter of Deep Impact recorded the largest winning margin in the history of the G1 Cazoo Oaks when capturing the Epsom Downs Classic by 16 lengths and followed up with further G1 success in the Juddmonte Irish Oaks and Darley Yorkshire Oaks.
Christy Grassick of Coolmore said: “I’d like to thank Cartier, and also the Racing Post and the Daily Telegraph on behalf of John and Sue, Derrick and Michael Tabor. Also Paul Smith and the team as well and a special mention to the Yoshida family. She was conceived down there and foaled down there and also to Emily and Georg von Opel as well for their success.”
Trueshan was recognised with the Cartier Stayer award thanks to a big-race hat-trick in the G1 Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup, G1 Qatar Prix du Cadran and G2 QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup. The five-year-old is trained by Alan King and owned by the Singula Partnership.
Alan King said: “This is our first time at the Cartier Awards & Trueshan is a special horse. His Glorious Goodwood win was a special day and he went on to back it up in the autumn at Longchamp (Prix du Cadran) and Ascot (QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup). There was pressure with the horse the whole way through the season. He is away having a good winter holiday at the moment. He is a bit weather dependent and the race we are desperate to run him in is the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot. We’ll just have to see what the English weather does.”
G1 Darley July Cup hero Starman was named Cartier Sprinter for trainer Ed Walker and owner/breeder David Ward. His Newmarket triumph was a first at the highest level for both Walker and Ward.
David Ward said: “Thank you to Harry (Herbert) and thank you to Cartier for this evening. It’s a privilege to be in a room with the people that probably for 30/40 years – some of the older ones, not everybody – that I’ve watched and admired in the field of horseracing. Starman was my second horse I bred and to say it’s been a joy is an understatement. Seeing the horse grow, going to the stables – the usual thing, has meant the absolute world to me.
“He was superbly managed by Mr (Ed) Walker and Mr (Ed) Sackville and I’ve got huge gratitude to them. To have such a horse as this has certainly changed our lives in a lot of good ways. So here’s to the future. He’s at stud in Ireland, so let’s hope in years to come there will be more little Starmans that succeed in the same manner as him.”
Godolphin starlet Native Trail collected the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt award. Like trainer Charlie Appleby’s previous winner of this accolade, Pinatubo in 2019, Native Trail registered a G1 double in the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes at the Curragh and Dubai Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket during an unbeaten campaign.
Hugh Anderson, Managing Director of Godolphin (UK and Dubai), said: “Appleby and Buick, no strangers to the winner’s circle. For me, and I think for everybody in this room, it has been an absolute privilege and a pleasure to watch this partnership over this season. British racing has come back really strongly and I think these two deserve a huge amount of credit from all of us in this room.
“I want to thank Cartier for settling a question that’s bounced around Newmarket and Moulton Paddocks for the last few weeks – who is the best two-year-old in Moulton Paddocks and Charlie’s yard. You’ve answered it. It is Native Trail. We are so excited by next year, 2022, I just want to thank you again and from Dubai our patron looks with great pride at what Godolphin is doing this season. We are firing on all cylinders. It’s wonderful to be here tonight and I thank you all very much, especially you Laurent.”
Another unbeaten performer Inspiral captured the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly award for John and Thady Gosden and her owner/breeder Cheveley Park Stud. The daughter of Frankel won all four of her starts, culminating with an impressive display in the G1 bet365 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket.
Cheveley Park Stud director Richard Thompson said: “I’m proud to accept this award for the leading two-year-old filly of the year, on behalf of Cheveley Park and my mother. Thank you to Cartier and the Daily Telegraph for their continued support of these awards.
“My father came home one evening in 1975 and promptly informed my mother that he’d bought Cheveley Park out of receivership. She was somewhat taken aback, but that was Dad all over. Dad was a brilliant businessman but the acquisition of Cheveley Park was a masterstroke. He had a vision that he and my mother could build it up together. How right he was. The combination of his vision and financial acumen and her determination, commitment and passion made for a formidable and unique team. Cheveley Park has become part of our family over the years.
“We have enjoyed many terrific moments on the racecourse and have appreciated watching how our stud has evolved over the years under the excellent stewardship of Chris Richardson and the team. I would also like to thank John, Thady and Frankie (Dettori) for their valuable contributions to Inspiral’s success this year. After 46 years in the industry, we very much appreciate owning a filly such as Inspiral – now a homebred, Group One-winning, champion two-year-old filly.”
David Elsworth was the recipient of the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit. In a racing career spanning 67 years, Elsworth has scaled the pinnacles of both Flat and Jump racing, combining Classic success with victories in the Grand National and the Cheltenham Gold Cup.
After watching a video tribute to his career, Elsworth said: “Well, what can I say? I’ve never heard so much bullshit in all my life! Having said that, I’d like to thank Cartier and those misguided people who’ve got me up here. I am very flattered to be considered for this award when I look at my predecessors. And here I am, a 20/1 shot. It happens, doesn’t it? I’m very flattered. I feel like a bit of an imposter, in fact. But it is a great honour and when I think of those predecessors…. it is something I shall treasure and appreciate those people who have supported me.
“It’s a well-known cliche that the success one has as a figurehead, the trainer or whoever he may be, we all need the support of the staff and everybody. And I’ve been very lucky in that department. In fact, I’ve been very lucky everywhere. Thank you very much, I’m very honoured and privileged. Thank you.”