Derby winner Golden Horn named Cartier horse of the year

Derby winner Golden Horn triumphed at the 2015 Cartier Racing Awards last night (10 November).

Trained by John Gosden, Golden Horn was named Cartier horse of the year, as well as picking up the three-year-old colt award.

The son of Cape Cross was bred by owner Anthony Oppenheimer and was sent to Tattersalls as a yearling, but failed to meet his reserve so was put into training with Gosden.

Golden Horn was not originally entered into the Derby due to concerns that he wouldn’t stay a mile and a half, but Mr Oppenheimer supplemented the colt at a cost of £75,000 after success in the Dante in May. The colt went on to win the Derby under Frankie Dettori, before taking the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown, the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown and the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe this season.

His final start was in the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Keeneland on 29 October, where he finished second.

Golden Horn retires with earnings of more than £4.4m and as the second-highest rated horse in the world behind US Triple Crown hero American Pharaoh.

The two-year-old colt award went to Air Force Blue. Trained by Aidan O’Brien and owned by Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier and Michael Tabor, he won this year’s running of the Dewhurst and is currently favourite for the 2016 2,000 Guineas.

The two-year-old filly award went to Minding, by Galileo, who won the Group One Fillies’ Mile on 9 October at Newmarket. Also trained by Aidan O’Brien and owned by Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier and Michael Tabor, she was ridden on that occasion by Ryan Moore, and has since been installed as the favourite for next year’s Oaks.

The three-year-old filly award went to Legatissimo, trained by David Wachman and a third win at the awards for the Smith, Magnier and Tabor team.

The Cartier sprinter award went to Charlie Hills-trained Muhaarar, owned by Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum.

Simple Verse, trained by Ralph Beckett, became only the second three-year-old, following Moonax in 1994, to receive the Cartier stayer award. Owned by Sheikh Fahad Thani, the filly won the St Leger after an appeal to reverse her disqualification. The race was originally handed to Bondi Beach.

Solow, trained by Freddy Head, won the older horse award after an unbeaten campaign that started on the all-weather of Chantilly in March and included five Group One victories.

The Injured Jockeys’ Fund’s Jack Berry (pictured below with Marcus Armytage) won the Cartier/Daily Telegraph award of merit for his work on the northern rehabilitation centre, Jack Berry House in Malton, which opened earlier this year.

Harry Herbert, Cartier’s racing consultant, said: “Golden Horn carried nearly all before him and is a worthy recipient of Cartier Horse of the Year, while Solow and Muhaarar were equally dominant in mile and sprint races respectively.

“I think it would be hard to find a tougher filly anywhere in the world than Legatissimo, while the Coolmore-owned two-year-olds, Air Force Blue and Minding, were both very impressive. It is refreshing to see the Cartier Stayer Award go to a three-year-old, Simple Verse, for the first time since 1994.

“Jack Berry’s whole life has been dedicated to racing and the opening of Jack Berry House in 2015 is a lasting testament to his tireless work on behalf of injured jockeys. We are delighted to announce him as the recipient Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit in 2015.”

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