Dubai: Taghrooda, Night Of Thunder and African Story, three Dubai-owned horses, have staked their claim for a prestigious Cartier Racing Award following the latest points update in the annual competition which honours the best in the equine world.
Taghrooda, who is owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, figures prominently in the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly category following her hugely impressive victory in the Epsom Oaks on June 6.
Trained by John Gosden, the Shadwell homebred is currently a joint second with Irish 1,000 Guineas (G1) scorer Miss France on 48 points.
Jean-Claude Rouget’s unbeaten Avenir Certain, winner of the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French Derby) in May, holds pole position with 64 points.
Taghrooda is likely to be seen in action in July should she line up for the Darley Irish Oaks (G1) at the Curragh, Ireland.
She also holds entries for the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) at Ascot on July 26 and the Darley Yorkshire Oaks (G1) on August 21 at York.
The star performance from a filly of the Classic generation at Royal Ascot was delivered by Rizeena who is trained by 80-year-old Clive Brittain for Shaikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum. The daughter of Iffraaj won the Group One Coronation Stakes to storm into contention.
Dubai World Cup winner African Story is a leading contender for the Cartier Older Horse trophy, where the favourite is French superstar Cirrus Des Aigles who has won three of her five starts this season including the Coronation Cup (G1) at Epsom earlier this month. Her heroics have earned her a massive 124 points to African Story’s 54.
Trained in France by Corine Barande-Barbe Cirrus Des Aigles earlier picked up the Cartier Older Horse Award in 2011.
She also sets the pace in the much sought after Cartier Horse Of The Year category with 124 points, and is followed by Irish 2,000 Guineas (G1) and St. James’s Palace Stakes (G1) conqueror Kingman with 112.
English 2,000 Guineas (G1) victory Night Of Thunder, who is owned by Dubai businessman Saeed Manana, is in third place with 76 points,
The Cartier Racing Awards, European horseracing’s equivalent of the Oscars, will be announced on November 11, 2014.
Horses can score points in Pattern races throughout 2014 which will assist a panel of racing journalists and readers to nominate the winner.
The Cartier Awards were established in 1991.
Harry Herbert, Cartier’s Racing Consultant, commented: “Royal Ascot provided us with five days of brilliant racing and we were fortunate to witness superb performances from both established stars and emerging talent.
“The Gold Cup could not be bettered as a spectacle and, with the European horse racing season now in full flow, the action moves on with the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby weekend at the Curragh, the Coral-Eclipse Summer Festival at Sandown Park, Newmarket’s Moet & Chandon July Festival and much more in the next few weeks.”
