DUBAI: With less than three weeks remaining for the 2014 Cartier Racing Awards winners to be announced, dual British Group 1 winner Taghrooda looks set to make history in the annual competition which rewards excellence in horse racing.
The Epsom Oaks (G1) and King George (G1) heroine, owned by Shaikh Hmadan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, heads the competitive Three-Year-Old category which has produced top winners like The Fugue (2012), Ouija Board (2004) and Bosra Sham (1996).
Should the recently retired daughter of Sea The Stars triumph, it will give Shaikh Hamdan his first Cartier Award since its launch in 1991.
Taghrooda has amassed 124 points during her well-documented summer exploits and enjoys a comfortable lead from Avenir Certain, the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (G1) (French 1,000 Guineas) winner and Miss France, winner of the British equivalent.
Public voting, which opens on Wednesday to help determine the winners in the eight categories, will close at noon on Tuesday, November 4.
Harry Herbert, Cartier’s racing consultant, commented: “Public voting opens today and readers of the Racing Post and The Daily Telegraph plus viewers of Channel 4 can all participate.
“I would encourage people to get involved as every vote will be significant in deciding tightly-contested Cartier Racing Awards.
“The season is drawing to close in Europe and the final British Group One is the Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster on Saturday (October 25), while performances in the Breeders’ Cup races and Emirates Melbourne Cup will also help determine the 2014 Cartier champions.”
Meanwhile, the outstanding Kingman, winner of four Group 1 races during the summer including the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot, heads the prestigious Cartier Horse of the Year category with 208 points. Australia, winner of both the English and Irish Derby, is in second place on 164 points.
Noble Mission has taken the lead on points in the Cartier Older Horse category, which Frankel won in 2012, ahead of Cirrus Des Aigles (124), a disappointing fifth in the QIPCO Champion Stakes (G1), and Integral (92), while repeat Arc de Triomphe winner Treve is not far behind on 84.
Slade Power and Sole Power remain out in front in the Cartier Sprinter category, with the Edward Lynam-trained pair both on 72 points.
Gordon Lord Byron moves into fourth place following his success in the Group 2 QIPCO British Champions Sprint at Ascot (36).
The Cartier Awards were established in 1991 to reward excellence in horse racing. In addition to the eight equine awards, the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit goes to the person or persons who, in the opinion of the special 17-strong Cartier Jury, has/have done the most for European racing and/or breeding either over their lifetime or within the past 12 months.
