Superb victories from Blue Bolt and Daryz last weekend have seen the duo storm to the head of the points standings for the Cartier Horse of the Year, the premier equine accolade of the Cartier Racing Awards.
Established in 1991 to reward excellence in horseracing, the 36th Cartier Racing Awards will be presented at the Dorchester Hotel in London on the evening of Wednesday, November 18.
Blue Bolt continued her outstanding season as she recorded a fourth consecutive G1 win with another authoritative display in the BetMGM Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket on Saturday.
The Juddmonte-owned filly, who is trained by Andrew Balding, is unbeaten in six starts this year and has accrued 144 points in Pattern races, moving her to the top of the Cartier Horse of the Year and Cartier Older Horse divisions.
Daryz (140) is close behind in both categories after he became the first colt since Alleged in 1978 to win back-to-back renewals of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe with a brilliant win over Bay City Roller (88) in Europe’s premier middle-distance contest at Longchamp on Sunday.
Victorious in the Prix Ganay and Prix Aga Khan IV earlier in the season, the son of Sea The Stars represents the same owner/trainer combination of Aga Khan Studs and Francis-Henri Graffard responsible for Calandagan, who was crowned Cartier Horse of the Year and Cartier Older Horse last year.
Two days of exhilarating action at Longchamp also saw Cartier Stayer leader Scandinavia (136) meet with a surprise defeat as he went down by a short-neck to Caballo de Mar (90) in Saturday’s Qatar Prix du Cadran.
Fairy Glen (44), who beat Caballo de Mar in the Dubai Gold Cup Sponsored By Al Tayer Motors back in March, enhanced her claims in the same division with a resolute victory in the Qatar Prix de Royallieu on the same card.
True Love (128) has regained the lead in the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly standings following her success in Sunday’s Qatar Prix de la Foret. She holds a narrow advantage over two more Coolmore contenders who posted valiant efforts in defeat in Paris, with Diamond Necklace (124) finishing third behind Daryz and Precise (124) chasing home Miss Scott (40) in the Prix de l’Opera Longines.
Fellow three-year-old filly Miss Yechance (40) is a major mover in the Cartier Sprinter category after recording her third straight win when making all in the Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp Longines, a race in which Mission Central (40) was third.
Amusingly (40) highlighted the strength of this season’s crop of juvenile fillies once again as she defeated colts in the Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere, with Green Empress (72) also enjoying top-level success in the Qatar Prix Marcel Boussac.
Both have ground to make up on Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly leader Sun Goddess (116), who picked up a third G1 with another impressive victory in the Tattersalls Sceptre Sessions Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket’s Cambridgeshire Meeting.
Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes victor Folsom Blues (68) remains at the head of the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt division, with the son of Blue Point having finished second to Amusingly at Longchamp. Orthodox (48) now occupies second in the same category following his victory in the Tattersalls Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket.
Bow Echo (128) continues to lead the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt points despite his retirement in August, with the Betfred 2000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes and Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes winner comfortably clear of Constitution River (104) and Gstaad (104),