St Mark’s Basilica was announced as the Cartier Horse Of The Year at the 31st annual Cartier Racing Awards during a glittering ceremony at the Dorchester Hotel this evening.
The Siyouni colt, who races for Sue Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, becomes the sixth horse owned by a member of a Coolmore partnership to be crowned Cartier Horse Of The Year following Giant’s Causeway (2000), Rock Of Gibraltar (2002), Hurricane Run (2005),
Dylan Thomas (2007) and
Minding (2016).
The Cartier Racing Awards were established in 1991 to reward excellence in horseracing. There are eight equine awards - the Cartier Horse Of The Year, the Cartier Older Horse, the Cartier Sprinter, the Cartier Stayer, the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt, the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly, the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt and the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly.
Winner of the G1
Darley Dewhurst Stakes as a two-year-old, St Mark’s Basilica has sparkled this season with four G1 victories across France, Britain and Ireland during an unbeaten campaign.
Trained by Aidan O’Brien, St Mark’s Basilica also takes the honours in the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt category ahead of
Adayar,
Baaeed and
Hurricane Lane.
Palace Pier, owned by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum and trained by John and Thady Gosden, takes the Cartier Older Horse award following a superb season that included G1 wins in the
Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes, the
Queen Anne Stakes and the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois. The other nominees were
Lady Bowthorpe,
Mishriff and
Torquator Tasso. Palace Pier was previously crowned the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt at the
2020 Cartier Racing Awards.
Snowfall recorded the largest winning margin in the history of the G1
Cazoo Oaks when capturing the Epsom Downs Classic by 16 lengths and the daughter of Deep Impact is named the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly.
Inspiral takes the honours in the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly category. Trained by John and Thady Gosden for Cheveley Park Stud, the
Frankel filly has won all four of her starts and finished her campaign with victory in the G1
bet365 Fillies’ Mile. Also nominated were
Discoveries,
Tenebrism and
Zellie.
The recipient of the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit in 2021 is David Elsworth, one of the most successful dual-purpose trainers Britain has produced. In a racing career spanning 67 years, Elsworth has scaled the pinnacles of both Flat and Jump racing, combining Classic success with victories in the
Grand National and the
Cheltenham Gold Cup.
Harry Herbert, Cartier’s Racing Consultant commented: “The 2021 European Flat season has once again highlighted all that is wonderful in this great sport.
“With capacity crowds back at racecourses and some brilliant equine performances, we were ultimately rewarded with a season to savour.
“Racing cannot continue without the ongoing support of owners and I would like to extend my congratulations to tonight’s winners – Coolmore, Godolphin, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Cheveley Park Stud, David Ward and the Singula Partnership.
“David Elsworth has truly reached the summit of his profession and is the perfect recipient for the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit in 2021. A man whose life has been steeped in racing, Elsworth’s career spans 67 years and has scaled the heights of both Jump and Flat racing. One of the most successful dual-purpose trainers Britain has produced, the sport is lucky to call him one of our own."