Wednesday 13 July 2016 17:40, UK
Sandown Park's Coral-Eclipse and the Moët & Chandon July Festival at Newmarket saw several horses advance their claims for 2016 Cartier Racing Awards honours.
The Group One Coral-Eclipse, Sandown Park's biggest Flat race of the year, provided the first chance for the Classic crop to test their mettle against older horses.
The younger generation took centre stage in the 10-furlong contest as Godolphin's Hawkbill (56) beat Coolmore's The Gurkha (80) in a pulsating battle up the Sandown hill, with both horses emerging as Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt contenders.
In a throwback to some of the great duels between Godolphin and Coolmore over the years, Hawkbill, who was supplemented into the race, ran on bravely to beat The Gurkha by half a length and record a sixth consecutive victory for trainer Charlie Appleby and jockey William Buick.
The Gurkha, trained by Aidan O'Brien, currently lies fourth in the standings for Cartier Horse Of The Year, having previously captured the French mile Classic, the Group One Poule d'Essai des Poulains, in devastating fashion and been second to QIPCO 2000 Guineas hero Galileo Gold (112) in the St James's Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot.
Galileo Gold and The Gurkha are set re-oppose in the Group One Qatar Sussex Stakes at the Qatar Goodwood Festival on July 27, with O'Brien also aiming the current leader for Cartier Horse Of The Year and Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly Awards, Minding (144), at the Group One Qatar Nassau Stakes (July 30) at the same meeting.
Newmarket's Moët & Chandon July Festival delivered some superb racing in the pleasant surroundings of the July Course. Limato (32), trained by Henry Candy and owned by Paul Jacobs, stormed clear of his rivals for a commanding victory over Suedois (24) in the Darley July Cup over six furlongs on Saturday, July 9, to register a breakthrough Group One success.
Quiet Reflection (64) was third in the Darley July Cup and the Karl Burke-trained filly continues to lead the standings for Cartier Sprinter and Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly categories, having annexed three Pattern races this year including the Group One Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot.
Alice Springs (54), trained by Aidan O'Brien for a Coolmore partnership, also enhanced her position in the race for Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly honours, with a taking display in the mile Group One Tattersalls 250th Year Falmouth Stakes on day two of the July Festival, Friday, July 8.
In the Cartier Older Horse category, Silverwave (64) gained a first Group One victory with a cosy success in the 12-furlong Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud in France on July 3. The four-year-old, from the stable of Pascal Bary and owned by Hspirit, is six points behind leader Dariyan (70), with new star Postponed (68) and talented filly Found (64) also featuring highly among a competitive group.
Order Of St George (48), successful in the Group One Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, continues to top the Carter Stayer division, with the runner-up from that contest, Mizzou (32), lying in second place.
Harry Herbert, Cartier's Racing Consultant, commented: "The performance of Hawkbill at Sandown Park marked him down as a fast-improving three-year-old colt, but it is Galileo Gold and Minding who are setting the pace for the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt Award and Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly Award respectively.
"The Cartier Sprinter division is wide open at the moment, with Limato throwing his hat into the ring with a fine performance in the Darley July Cup at Newmarket.
"The Qatar Goodwood Festival, York's Ebor Festival and Deauville are all coming up in the next few weeks so there will be plenty more movement in the Pattern race points for the 2016 Cartier Racing Awards."
The 26th annual Cartier Racing Awards will be presented at a glittering ceremony before an invited audience of 300 at the Dorchester Hotel, London, England, on the evening of Tuesday, November 8, 2016.
The Cartier Racing Awards were established in 1991 to reward excellence in horseracing. There are eight equine awards, ranging from the Cartier Horse Of The Year to the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt and Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly.
In addition, the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit goes to the person or persons who, in the opinion of the special 16-strong Cartier Jury, has/have done the most for European racing and/or breeding either over their lifetime or within the past 12 months.
European horseracing's top awards are delivered through a tried and tested combination of points earned by horses in Pattern races (30%), combined at the end of season with the opinions of a panel of racing journalists (35%) and votes from readers of Racing Post and The Daily Telegraph plus Channel 4 Racing viewers (35%).
Cartier Racing Awards - points in Pattern races up to and including Sunday, July 10, 2016
Cartier Horse Of The Year
Minding 144
Galileo Gold 112
Harzand 88
The Gurkha 80
Dariyan 70
Cartier Older Horse
Dariyan 70
Postponed 68
Found 64
Silverwave 64
Belardo 56
My Dream Boat 56
Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt
Galileo Gold 112
Harzand 88
The Gurkha 80
Hawkbill 56
Awtaad 44
Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly
Minding 144
La Cressonniere 64
Quiet Reflection 64
Alice Springs 54
Qemah 48
Cartier Sprinter
Quiet Reflection 64
Profitable 56
Twilight Son 32
Limato 32
Magical Memory 24
Suedois 24
Cartier Stayer
Order Of St George 48
Mizzou 32
Vazirabad 28
Clever Cookie 20
Dartmouth 16
Fly With Me 16
Sheikhzayedroad 16
Sword Fighter 16
