Frankel Horse Of The Year?

They should be debating him to be horse of the century..imo
skysports.com

Frankel looks to be closing in on two Cartier Awards following his stunning win in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot on Saturday.

The brilliant and unbeaten son of Galileo will be hard to beat in the two categories he has dominated through most of the season; the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt division and the Cartier Horse of the Year category.

Established in 1991 to reward excellence in horseracing, the Cartier Awards are determined by points earned by horses in Pattern races throughout 2011, combined at the end of season with the opinions of a panel of racing journalists and votes from readers of the Racing Post and The Daily Telegraph.

In addition to those eight equine awards, the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit goes to the person or persons who, in the opinion of the special 18-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 equivalent of the Oscars will be presented on the evening of Tuesday, November 15, during a glittering ceremony before an invited audience at London's Dorchester Hotel.

Demolition job

Sir Henry Cecil has produced Frankel (168 points) to win on each of his nine starts and Saturday's four-length demolition of a high-class field was the latest impressive top-flight success.

Last year's Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt Award winner powered clear of the Marco Botti-trained Excelebration (86 points), who had won the Group One Qatar Prix du Moulin at Longchamp on his previous start and was also victorious in the German 2,000 Guineas in the spring.

A further three and a half lengths back in third place was the hugely talented French raider Immortal Verse, a strong contender for Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly honours with 104 points.

Robert Collet's charge has twice captured Group One races this term and conquered the great Goldikova in the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois at Deauville in August.

Champion pair

Frankel's closest pursuers for Cartier Horse of the Year honours are So You Think (162) and Cirrus Des Aigles (140) who went head to head in the Group One QIPCO Champion Stakes over 10 furlongs at Ascot, around 35 minutes after his stunning display.

So You Think, the Australian champion who has won three Group One races in Europe since switching to Aidan O'Brien's Ballydoyle stable at the start of this year, may have more points than his French rival but it was Cirrus Des Aigles who took the spoils at Ascot.

The five-year-old, trained by Corine Barande-Barbe, has raced a remarkable 10 times this year - winning five and running the likes of Goldikova and Sarafina close at the highest level - and gained a deserved Group One triumph under Christophe Soumillon as he finished three quarters of a length in front of So You Think.

Last year's Cartier Horse of the Year, Goldikova, is still an outstanding athlete at age six and the Freddy Head-trained mare has 112 points, equal to the three-year-old colt Dream Ahead who defeated the champion in a thrilling renewal of the Group One Qatar Prix de la Foret at Longchamp earlier this month.

Dream Ahead, who has proved a brilliant sprinter this year with further wins in the Darley July Cup and Betfred Sprint Cup, was officially ranked Frankel's equal by the international handicappers at the end of 2010. Frankel, whose five wins this term also include the QIPCO 2,000 Guineas, St James's Palace Stakes and QIPCO Sussex Stakes, is 56 points clear of his rival in the race to be crowned champion Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt.

The Cartier Older Horse standings see So You Think 22 points ahead of Cirrus Des Aigles while 2009 and 2010 winner Goldikova, who has 14 career Group/Grade One wins to her name and is aiming for a phenomenal fourth victory in the Grade One Breeders' Cup Mile at Churchill Downs next month, lies in third place, ahead of the multiple Group/Grade One heroine Midday (106).

Gap closing

Immortal Verse has closed to within six points of Blue Bunting (110) who heads the Cartier Three-year-Old Filly Award standings after her third place in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Sponsored by QIPCO. Godolphin's Blue Bunting, trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni, landed Group One wins in the QIPCO 1,000 Guineas, Darley Irish Oaks and Darley Yorkshire Oaks earlier this year.

Together (96) is next best after her victory in the Grade One Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup at Keeneland, USA, on October 15, while the strong division sees impressive Group One Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe heroine Danedream in fourth place on 80 points.

Fame game
The Cartier Stayer Award category was also impacted by events on QIPCO British Champions Day with Group One Gold Cup hero Fame And Glory (59) returning to form with a brilliant front-running victory under Jamie Spencer in the Group Three QIPCO British Champions Long Distance Cup.
In winning that two-mile contest, Aidan O'Brien's charge held division leader Opinion Poll (73) in second, as he had in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in June. Between times, Opinion Poll has landed the Group Two Artemis Goodwood Cup and Group Two Weatherbys Insurance Lonsdale Cup at York.

The O'Brien-trained Power, winner of the Group One Goffs National Stakes in September, heads the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt division with 80 points after his recent runner-up finish to the Jim Bolger-trained Parish Hall (44) in the Group One Dubai Dewhurst Stakes.

Only eight points behind Power is the unbeaten and incredibly impressive dual Group one winner Dabirsim (72) from the stable of Christophe Ferland, while the Richard Hannon-trained Lilbourne Lad, runner-up to Crusade in the Group One Emaar Middle Park Stakes, has 46 points.

There is a close race for the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly Award with the O'Brien-trained Maybe leading the way on 56 points. The unbeaten Group One Moyglare Stud Stakes heroine has six points more than Fire Lily, who was runner-up in that race, while Godolphin's Lyric Of Light has 48 points thanks to her Group One Shadwell Fillies' Mile success. Further Group One winners La Collina and Lightening Pearl both have 44 points.

Top sprinter
Dream Ahead leads the Cartier Sprinter Award points standings, 16 points clear of Group One Golden Jubilee Stakes winner Society Rock. Group One King's Stand Stakes winner Prohibit has 61 points, while Bated Breath commands 46 points after filling the runner-up berth in the Darley July Cup, Betfred Sprint Cup and Grade One Nearctic Stakes.
Harry Herbert, Cartier's racing consultant, commented: "Ascot's inaugural QIPCO British Champions Day more than lived up to expectations with a stunning line-up which included six of the top 10 horses racing in the world.

"Everyone is again talking about Frankel and the reception he received in victory confirmed he is a bona fide superstar held in the highest regard by an adoring public.

"But the day was not just about Khalid Abdulla's brilliant colt; a fantastic QIPCO Champion Stakes produced an epic battle between Cirrus Des Aigles and So You Think. If either of that pair is to capture the Cartier Older Horse Award, they may well have to fend off the Breeders' Cup-bound Goldikova.

"All in all it has been an incredible year and the wonderful thing is that it is not over yet. There are still major races to be decided, including 15 Breeders' Cup contests in Kentucky on the first weekend in November when three-time Cartier Award winner Goldikova will bid for a phenomenal fourth win in the Mile."