Daryz and Minnie Hauk served up a captivating finish to the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on Sunday, with both three-year-olds emerging as strong contenders for this year’s Cartier Racing Awards.
Established in 1991 to reward excellence in horseracing, the 35th Cartier Racing Awards will be presented at the Dorchester Hotel in London on the evening of Wednesday, November 19.
Daryz, a son of 2009 Cartier Horse of the Year Sea The Stars, prevailed by a head over Minnie Hauk in a gripping conclusion to Europe’s premier middle-distance contest, with the front two pulling five and a half lengths clear of a high-quality field.
A first Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for trainer Francis-Henri Graffard and jockey Mickael Barzalona, Daryz becomes an eighth winner of the race for the Aga Khan’s family and the first since the passing of The Aga Khan IV in February.
The homebred colt only made his debut in April but has won five of his seven starts and amassed 68 points in Pattern races, a total that moves him into contention for the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt award.
Daryz’s only disappointing performance came in the Juddmonte International at York in August, a race in which Cartier Older Horse leader Ombudsman (124 points) beat Delacroix (136), who heads the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt standings and is tied at the top of the Cartier Horse of the Year division.
Minnie Hauk (136) has joined Delacroix at the head of the Cartier Horse of the Year points following her valiant effort in defeat. The Coolmore filly, trained like Delacroix by Aidan O’Brien, completed a clean sweep of the Betfred Oaks, Juddmonte Irish Oaks and Pertemps Network Yorkshire Oaks over the summer and looks a standout contender for Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly honours.
The Classic generation also fought out the finish to the Qatar Prix de la Foret on Sunday as Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt aspirant Maranoa Charlie (72) denied this season’s Emirates Poule d’Essai des Pouliches winner Zarigana (72).
Two of the biggest movers in the Cartier Older Horse division came away from Longchamp, with the Wathnan Racing-owned Fallen Angel (100) recording a third consecutive top-level victory in Saturday’s BetMGM Sun Chariot Stakes at Newmarket.
Godolphin veteran Rebel’s Romance shows no sign of stopping at the age of seven as he posted a remarkable ninth career Group/Grade 1 success in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic in New York in late September. The evergreen son of Dubawi has amassed 82 points in the Cartier Older Horse standings, with his staying victory in the Boodles Yorkshire Cup moving him up to 98 points in the Cartier Horse of the Year category.
Having been nominated for the Cartier Sprinter award in 2024, admirable mare Asfoora (64) has laid down a strong marker for the accolade this year with her victory in Sunday’s Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp Longines, a success that puts her second in the points behind Arizona Blaze (72).
Trained by Henry Dwyer for the El-Fahkri family’s Noor Elaine Farm, Asfoora is the first Australian-trained horse to win a race in France, and was adding to her success in the Coolmore Wootton Bassett Nunthorpe Stakes at York’s Ebor Festival.
Scandinavia (88), winner of the Al Shaqab Goodwood Cup and Betfred St Leger, continues to lead Gold Cup hero Trawlerman (72) in the Cartier Stayer division, although two progressive horses highlighted their claims with breakthrough Group 1 victories at Longchamp on Saturday.
Caballo De Mar (38) followed up his Deutsches St Leger win 13 days earlier with an impressive performance in the Qatar Prix du Cadran, providing trainer George Scott with a first top-level success in the process. Consent (40) also secured the biggest win of her progressive career as she dominated the Qatar Prix de Royallieu.
Puerto Rico (64) has joined Zavateri (64) at the head of the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt category after making all in Sunday’s Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere. The Coolmore-owned son of Wootton Bassett, who is trained by Aidan O’Brien, was posting a second straight Group-race victory, having annexed the Betfred Champagne Stakes at Doncaster in September.
Coolmore and O’Brien are responsible for the new leader of the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly standings, True Love (80). The daughter of No Nay Never, who comprehensively beat Puerto Rico in the GAIN Railway Stakes in July, comfortably took the Tattersalls Sceptre Sessions Cheveley Park Stakes at last month’s Cambridgeshire Meeting at Newmarket.