Perfect Power and Tenebrism have moved into contention in the Two-Year-Old categories for this year’s Cartier Racing Awards following thrilling G1 victories at Newmarket’s Cambridgeshire Meeting.
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.
The 31st annual Cartier Racing Awards will be awarded in November. Cartier continues its ongoing support with the presentation of the Cartier Racing Awards.
Perfect Power cemented his status among Europe’s top two-year-olds with a stunning success in the G1 Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes on September 25, defeating Castle Star (32), Go Bears Go (32) and Asymmetric (32) in the process.
Owned by Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum, Perfect Power was completing a G1 double having won the Darley Prix Morny at Deauville in August. The Richard Fahey-trained son of Ardad is the clear leader in the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt category with 80 points.
Godolphin’s unbeaten Native Trail lies second with 48 points after defeating Point Lonsdale (40) and Ebro River (40) in the G1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes at the Curragh on September 12.
Tenebrism (32) made it two wins from as many starts with a stunning victory in the G1 Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes on September 25 for Aidan O’Brien and a Coolmore partnership.
The daughter of Caravaggio displayed an electric turn of foot to score under Ryan Moore, a performance that moved her up to fourth in the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly standings behind Agartha (40), Sandrine (40) and G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Discoveries (36).
In the Cartier Horse Of The Year award category, the Aidan O’Brien-trained St Mark’s Basilica (160) remains in pole position. The Siyouni colt, who captured his fourth G1 prize of the season in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown on September 11, was retired to take up stallion duties at Coolmore earlier this week.
Jim Bolger’s homebred Poetic Flare finished a creditable third at Leopardstown and the dual G1 winner is hot on the heels of St Mark’s Basilica with 156 points, ahead of Palace Pier (144), who is unbeaten in four appearances this year.
This week’s Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe Weekend at Longchamp looks set to have a significant bearing on the Cartier Racing Awards, with eight G1 races over the two days.
In the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe itself, Adayar (100) will be aiming to become only the third horse in history to win the Derby, the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Longchamp showpiece.
His main opposition could come from another Godolphin colt that has enjoyed a magnificent season so far, Hurricane Lane (140), who completed a G1 hat-trick in the Cazoo St Leger at Doncaster on September 15.
Both Charlie Appleby-trained contenders will be hoping to close in on St Mark’s Basilica at the head of the Cartier Horse Of The Year and Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt standings.
English and Irish Oaks heroine Snowfall (136) also lines up in Sunday’s highlight looking to further her lead at the top of the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly category and bounce back from a shock defeat in the G1 Qatar Prix Vermeille on Arc Trials Day.
Tarnawa (32), a three-time G1 winner in 2020, will spearhead the older challenge for the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe. The Dermot Weld-trained mare was a luckless second in the Irish Champion Stakes but victory this Sunday would see her challenge Palace Pier (144) and Mishriff (108) in both the Cartier Older Horse and Cartier Horse Of The Year standings.
The Cartier Sprinter Award is currently headed by Starman (64 points), although this Sunday’s G1 Prix de l’Abbaye de Longchamp could produce a serious challenger to the G1 Darley July Cup winner.
G1 Gold Cup victor Subjectivist (60) remains the leader in the Cartier Stayer division, but his position could also be under threat with Skazino (48), Stradivarius (40), Trueshan (36) and Princess Zoe (28) among the latest acceptors for the G1 Qatar Prix du Cadran at Longchamp on Saturday.