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Minding Wins Cartier Horse Of The Year

3 minute read

Champion filly Minding has been named Cartier Horse of the Year at the 26th annual Cartier Racing Awards in London.

European racing's equivalent of the Oscars saw the three-year-old Galileo filly, owned by a Coolmore partnership, trained by Aidan O'Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore, honoured for her five a five Group One wins in 2016.

Her victories, at distances ranging from a mile to a mile and a half, came in the 1000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks, Pretty Polly Stakes, Nassau Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

Minding was the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly in 2015 when she enjoyed two G1 victories.

Minding
Minding Picture: Pat Healy Photography

Her rivals in the Cartier Horse Of The Year category were Almanzor, Found, Postponed and recent Breeders' Cup Turf winner Highland Reel.

Both Found and Highland Reel are stable companions of Minding.

Minding also took the honours in the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly category, ahead of Alice Springs, Quiet Reflection and La Cressonniere.

A record was set when five of the eight equine awards went to horses owned by Coolmore partnerships, consisting in the main of owners Sue Magnier, Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor.

All five of these award winners are trained by Aidan O'Brien, at Ballydoyle in Ireland, who took home the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit.

O'Brien enjoyed a magnificent 2016, being responsible for 22 winners at G1 level.

During the past quarter century, the 47-year-old has rewritten the record books, enjoying more than 250 G1 winners on the Flat worldwide and he stands at the very summit of his profession.

Coolmore's Found, who led home a remarkable 1-2-3 for O'Brien and the owners in Europe's richest race, the G1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, was named Cartier Older Horse.

The other contenders for Cartier Older Horse Award were Postponed, Limato and Highland Reel.

Order Of St George, winner of the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, is another success for Coolmore and O'Brien, with the four-year-old landing the Cartier Stayer Award ahead of Quest For More, Vazirabad and Sheikzayedroad.

The fifth award to go to a Coolmore/O'Brien horse was Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt, won by Churchill.

The Galileo colt finished a superb campaign with Group One victories in two of Europe's best G1 juvenile contests - the National Stakes and the Dewhurst Stakes.

The other nominees in this category were Caravaggio, The Last Lion and Mehmas.

Almanzor took the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt Award.

Owned by Ecurie Antonio Caro and Gerard Augustin-Normand, the son of Wootton Basset was superbly handled by Jean-Claude Rouget to win three G1 contests - the Prix du Jockey Club, Irish Champion Stakes and Champion Stakes.

The other Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt nominees were Galileo Gold, Harzand and The Gurkha.

Two fillies made history at the 26th Cartier Racing Awards.

Quiet Reflection became the first three-year-old filly to win the Cartier Sprinter Award. This follows her victories at the highest level in the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and the Sprint Cup at Haydock Park.

Owned by Ontoawinner, Hubert Strecker and Karl and Elaine Buke, the Karl Burke-trained Showcasing filly took the Cartier Sprinter Award in tight finish ahead of Limato, Mecca's Angel and The Tin Man.

Lady Aurelia is the other history-maker, as she is the first horse trained in the USA to win a Cartier Racing Award.

Following a breathtaking all-the-way win in the G2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot and victory in the G1 Prix Morny at Deauville, she captured the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly Award ahead of Rhododendron, Brave Anna and Roly Poly.

Lady Aurelia is owned by Stonestreet Stables, George Bolton and Peter Leidel and trained by Wesley Ward.
Racing and Sports

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