Thursday, Aug 10, 2017

Dubai: Godolphin horses hold sway in three categories for the 2017 Cartier Racing Awards as star fillies Winter and Enable were vying for the lead in their respective categories following their recent victories at Glorious Goodwood and Ascot respectively.

Godolphin’s Ribchester, trained by Richard Fahey, heads the Cartier Older Horse category, despite his neck defeat to Here Comes When (48) on very soft ground in the mile Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood.

His 10 points give him the lead over Ulysses (92) while Decorated Knight and Highland Reel are joint third with 80 in the awards which were established in 1991 to reward excellence in horseracing.

There are eight equine awards in all.

Godolphin’s Barney Roy is the current leader in the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt category with 104 points, ahead of dual 2,000 Guineas victor Churchill (80).

The Group 1 Darley July Cup winner Harry Angel, also owned by Godolphin, holds an edge in the Cartier Sprinter division with 68 points, ahead of Brando (48) who won the Group 1 LARC Prix Maurice de Gheest at Deauville.

Battaash, a progressive three-year-old owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, has edged into contention after breaking the five-furlong course record in the Group 3 Coral Charge at Sandown Park in July and then carrying forward that form to the King George Stakes at Goodwood on August 4.

The 2017 Cartier Racing Awards will be presented at in London, England, on November 14.

Harry Herbert, Cartier’s Racing Consultant, commented: “We have been fortunate to see two outstanding fillies in Winter and Enable carry all before them so far in 2017. It would be a mouth-watering clash if they ever raced against each other.

“The Qatar Goodwood Festival delivered five days of excellent racing despite the Wednesday deluge and we have top-class action at Deauville and York to look forward to for the rest of August.”

By Leslie Wilson Jr Racing & Special Features Writer

Gulf News 2017. All rights reserved.