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City Of Troy and Porta Fortuna delivered impressive performances for this season’s 3YO cohort in two key early generational clashes, propelling them to the top of the leaderboard in the race for Cartier Horse of the Year.
The 34th Cartier Racing Awards, established in 1991 to honor excellence in horseracing, will be held at the Dorchester Hotel in London on the evening of Wednesday, November 20.
Last season's Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt, City Of Troy, followed his Gr.1 Betfred Derby victory with a determined performance on soft ground in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown Park on July 6, defeating his older rival Al Riffa by a length.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien for a Coolmore partnership, City Of Troy currently leads both the Cartier Horse of the Year and Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt categories with 96 points. The Justify colt aims to solidify his dominance in the coming weeks, with potential targets including the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes, Juddmonte International, and Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes.
Porta Fortuna (88) asserted her dominance in one of the initial major clashes between 3YO fillies and older contenders by winning the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes by nearly four lengths at Newmarket’s July Festival last week.
Trained by Donnacha O’Brien, the filly now leads the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly category and shares second place in the Cartier Horse of the Year standings with Rosallion (88), winner of the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas and St James’s Palace Stakes.
Among the older horses, Mill Stream (60) claimed victory for the senior generation by narrowly defeating Swingalong (32) in the My Pension Expert July Cup, with Commonwealth Cup winner Inisherin (48) finishing fifth. Trained by Jane Chapple-Hyam and owned by Peter Harris, Mill Stream has taken a commanding lead in the Cartier Sprinter division.
Charyn (80), winner of the Queen Anne Stakes, maintains his lead in the Cartier Older Horse standings. However, his position may be challenged in the upcoming King George VI & Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes later this month, where contenders like Auguste Rodin (64) and Rebel’s Romance (54) are expected to compete.
In the Cartier Stayer division, Kyprios (56) and Trawlerman (27) continue to hold the top two positions following their performances in the Gold Cup. Double Major (22), winner of last season’s Prix Royal-Oak, made a significant move after securing his first victory of 2024 in Saturday’s Prix Maurice de Nieuil at Longchamp.