Constitution River has highlighted his Cartier Horse of the Year claims following an authoritative victory in the Coral-Eclipse, with the son of Wootton Bassett joining a host of Coolmore-owned three-year-olds in contention for the leading equine prize at 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.
This year’s Classic crop dominated the first significant clash of the generations at Sandown Park on July 4, as Constitution River followed up his Qatar Prix du Jockey Club success with an assured display over his peers A Boy Named Susie and Hawk Mountain.
Constitution River, who is trained by Aidan O’Brien, has gained 80 points in Pattern races so far this season, moving him to the top of the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt division alongside Betfred 2000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes winner Bow Echo (also 80 points).
Apart from Bow Echo, horses owned by Coolmore partnerships dominate the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt standings, with Betfred Derby scorer Christmas Day (76) having filled the runner-up spot behind stablemate Benvenuto Cellini (40) in the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby in late June.
Thesecretadversary (48), trained by Fozzy Stack for Cayton Park Stud & Sue Magnier, advanced his prospects with success in the Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard Prix Jean Prat at Deauville on Sunday. Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas winner Gstaad (72), Hawk Mountain (36) and recent Belmont Derby victor Title Role (36) highlight the depth of Coolmore-owned runners in the division.
Coolmore is also responsible for the two leading contenders in the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly award, although both have met with defeat recently. Betfred 1000 Guineas heroine True Love (96) continues to head both the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly and the Cartier Horse of the Year standings after finishing second to Thesecretadversary at Deauville.
Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas and Coronation Stakes winner Precise (80) filled the same position when taking on older fillies and mares in the Tattersalls Sceptre Sessions Falmouth Stakes, one of the feature races of last week’s Debenhams July Festival at Newmarket.
Venetian Sun (64) has moved up to third in the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly points and tops the Cartier Sprinter division after her length second to Comanche Brave (51) in the Al Basti Equiworld, Dubai July Cup, a race that also featured Royal Ascot winners Mission Central (32) and Almeraq (32).
Reigning Cartier Horse of the Year Calandagan (56) is a significant mover in the Cartier Older Horse standings after storming home to claim the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud – World Pool By PMU on July 5.
Prince Of Wales’s Stakes victor Ombudsman (80) remains at the head of the category, with the Godolphin five-year-old on course for a blockbuster clash with Constitution River in York’s Juddmonte International in August.
Gold Cup winner Scandinavia (56), another Coolmore-owned horse trained by Aidan O’Brien, continues to lead the Cartier Stayer division. He looks set for a rematch with Royal Ascot runner-up Trawlerman (24) in an eagerly anticipated Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup later this month.
About the Cartier Racing Awards
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.
European horseracing’s top awards are delivered through a tried and tested combination of points earned by horses in Pattern races (30%), combined at the end of the season with the opinions of a panel of racing journalists/handicappers (35%) and votes from members of the public (35%).
In addition to the equine awards, the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit goes to the person or persons who, in the opinion of the 15-strong Cartier Jury, has/have done the most for European racing and/or breeding either over their lifetime or within the past 12 months.
The 36th Cartier Racing Awards will be presented at the Dorchester Hotel in London on the evening of Wednesday, November 18.