Reaction from 29th Cartier Racing Awards in London

It proved to be the night of John Gosden, with horses from his powerful Clarehaven Stables—all partnered by Frankie Dettori—scooping five of the eight equine awards at the 29th annual Cartier Racing Awards Nov. 12 at the Dorchester Hotel in London.

Enable was crowned Cartier Horse of the Year for the second time, having previously taken the prestigious award in 2017. She became just the third horse to be a two-time Cartier Horse of the Year after Frankel (2011 and 2012) and Ouija Board (2004 and 2006).

On accepting the Cartier Horse of the Year Award, Juddmonte chief executive Douglas Erskine-Crum said, "On behalf of Prince Khalid and his family, thank you very much indeed to Cartier for this fantastic evening and for the awards' ceremony.

"I just want to tell you a little bit about the team behind Enable. You have heard from Teddy (Lord Grimthorpe) what she means to the team and it is the team that got her there. It started off eight years ago with Philip Mitchell, who was then general manager, talking with Prince Khalid about matings and giving his advice to send Concentric to Nathaniel. The result of course was Enable.

"Philip was with the Prince for nearly 30 years. Enable was then foaled at Banstead Manor Stud under the watchful eye of Simon Mockridge, who is now the stud director there and who is the longest-serving member of Juddmonte—he has worked for the Prince for 39 years. Enable then went to Ireland under the watchful eye of Rory Mahon, who has worked for the Prince for 38 years. Enable was the fifth generation of her family that Rory has been responsible for. 

"Then Teddy, only 20 years with the Prince, took over and managed Enable as he does with all the Prince's horses so brilliantly. 

"She went to John Gosden, who has been training for the Prince for 36 years, having had his first horse for the Prince in California in 1983. She was ridden by Frankie who rode his first winner for the Prince in 1989—30 years ago. 

"So, you can see how important the team is to Enable. I would just like to add the whole Juddmonte team does not work for a company, we work for the most marvelous individual—Prince Khalid. He will be thrilled, as will his sons and his whole family. Many of you will have seen he had seven grandsons at Ascot and at Longchamp. 

"The future is bright for Juddmonte and thank you very much indeed for a lovely evening."

Enable Earns Second Cartier Horse of the Year Award

Earlier in the evening, Enable was also named Cartier Older Horse for 2019 and equals the record of the legendary Frankel, another Juddmonte homebred, in gaining five Cartier Racing Awards, having also been named Cartier 3-Year-Old Filly in 2017 and Cartier Older Horse in 2018.

On receiving the Cartier Older Horse Award, Lord Grimthorpe, racing manager to Prince Khalid Abdullah, said: "A huge thank you to Cartier; they really do it the best don't they? 

"Enable has just been so dominating of our lives and Prince Khalid and his family have absolutely loved every moment of it.

"The job that John and Frankie, and especially Imran (Shawani, groom) and all the team at Clarehaven have done is just absolutely wonderful. 

"Enable has taken us through the whole gamut of emotions and taken us to some very special places. We are truly overwhelmed by all the goodwill and huge waves of pleasure people have got from her and we are very, very grateful. Thank you so much."

Bjorn Nielsen homebred Stradivarius, also trained by Gosden and ridden by Dettori, won the Cartier Stayer Award for the second successive year. Simon Marsh, racing advisor to Nielsen, read out a statement from the owner which said, "I would like to thank Cartier and the Daily Telegraph for this award.

"It is a privilege to own a horse like Stradivarius. It has been gratifying to see him stimulate interest in the staying division. Watching Big Orange, Order of St George, Dee Ex Bee, Cross Counter, Kew Gardens, and Stradivarius compete against each other over the last two seasons has been exciting not just for me but for all racing fans. Congratulations to connections of all those excellent horses.

"With the initiative of the BHA, and generous support from Weatherbys Hamilton through the bonus, QIPCO on Champions Day and Qatar at Goodwood, together with the prize money for the Gold Cup (G1), the staying division has never been more attractive. Thank you to them all.

"Finally, of course Stradivarius could never have achieved what he has over the last couple of years without the genius of John Gosden, his hardworking staff and the brilliant riding of Frankie Dettori. I owe them all. Thank you."

Another repeat winner for team Gosden and Dettori was Too Darn Hot, who was named the 2019 Cartier 3-Year-Old Colt. Owned by Lord Lloyd-Webber and bred by Lord and Lady Lloyd-Webber's Watership Down Stud, the son of Dubawi was crowned Cartier 2-Year-Old Colt in 2018.

Lord and Lady Lloyd-Webber accepted the award, with Lady Lloyd-Webber saying: "Well, sort of phew! We got there in the end this year—it wasn't without its problems and this is really the biggest prize of the whole year.

"Last year, I thanked an awful lot of people for his 2-year-old wins and there is a huge team behind this horse. Very stupidly, I was very excited last year and I forgot to thank two people—Frankie Dettori and John Gosden! So, thank you John and thank you Frankie. When things are not going to plan, which really nothing much did for the first part of the season, you need professionals and you need talented people. My God, they did a cracking job when we won the Sussex Stakes (G1) and I can't thank them enough for that.

"To start his stud career by winning this award is just amazing and I have to thank Cartier very, very much. It is a real privilege, and this is so coveted."

The fifth award on the night for the Gosden-Dettori combination was Cartier 3-Year-Old Filly, which went to Star Catcher. Another homebred, Anthony Oppenheimer's daughter of Sea The Stars got better and better as the season progressed. 

On accepting the award, Oppenheimer said, "Thank you to everybody who voted for Star Catcher. She is an amazing filly and tough as nails. I hope she is going to run again next year, and we will see what happens then.

"It is wonderful to be here at Cartier and I can't tell you how important these Cartier Racing Awards are to people in racing. There is tremendous prestige if you win one and so we have to thank Cartier very much for their continued support. We look forward to next year too.

"There are so many people you have to thank when you get a horse that continues to race and do well. There is the guy who breaks the horse in, the vet, and the stud staff. They are going to be over the moon—it means so much to them to win this award and gives them such a wonderful feeling to really know they won a Cartier Award. 

"I think this is a lovely occasion and want to thank everybody who is responsible for it. Many thanks."

Talking about all his Cartier Racing Awards success in 2019, John Gosden said, "The Cartiers for us are our BAFTAs and Golden Globes rolled into one. 

"To have the Cartier 3-Year-Old Colt and 3-Year-Old Filly, Stayer, Older Horse, and Horse of the Year is incredibly fulfilling. They are lovely horses to train, and I am lucky in having very good owners and breeders who send the horses to me. I also have fabulous staff to help me prepare them on the day and a pretty good old jockey too!

"The contribution of owner-breeders should never be forgotten. It is terribly hard to breed good horses—the mare doesn't always get in foal and so many things can happen. But these people put a lot into it and are very important to our business—you can buy at the sales but that is a bit of a short cut.

"With horses like Enable and Stradivarius, it is almost like Desert Orchid, Denman. I myself go to see jump racing and am excited to see horses like them with their longevity. Yes, in our game they tend to go to stud at 3, 4, and 5 but the fact these two have raced at 2, 3, 4, 5, and now 6 is a testament to their owners understanding of what people want and love in racing. It is the love of the horse and tonight is the celebration of the horse as equine athletes. That is something that we really get—their sheer beauty and grace, let alone their athletic achievements. 

"Frankie is a bit like an older horse. He is loving it and staying sharp and very fit. He doesn't go flat out riding around the country like he used to but is more selective. He is like a great boxer—you don't bring him out for every bout. He is riding as well as ever and loving and enjoying it. As long as he is loving and enjoying it, he will continue to do it."

It was also a very satisfying year for Sheikh Mohammed's Godolphin operation, which won two Cartier Racing Awards.

Blue Point, trained by Charlie Appleby, went through 2019 unbeaten in five starts and won the 2019 Cartier Sprinter Award.

Sam Bullard, director of stallions at Darley, collected the award and said: "Blue Point's season was remarkable. It is down largely to one man, his trainer Charlie Appleby. I remember when Blue Point was a 2-year-old, Charlie said he thought he had a special horse on his hands. He won the Gimcrack (G2) and went on to compete in the best 2-year-old races that year. His career was then carefully planned and during that career he not only set the current six-furlong track record at Ascot, he also won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes (G1) in the fastest time ever. He also became the first horse to win three Royal Ascot group 1 sprints. 

"He was a fantastic horse for everyone in our team at Godolphin and hopefully a wonderful horse to go to stud for Darley in the future."

Godolphin also gained the honors in the Cartier 2-Year-Old Colt division with Pinatubo. Like Blue Point, a son of Shamardal trained by Charlie Appleby, Pinatubo was unbeaten in six starts between May and October. 

Liam O'Rourke, director of studs, stallions and breeding at Darley, collected the award and said: "Ladies and Gentlemen, firstly very warm thanks to our sponsor Cartier for this most prestigious award and the privilege of attending this wonderful evening.

"What more can I say about a colt who has won six races and has gone through his 2-year-old career unbeaten. He is a worthy champion. Great credit goes to his trainer Charlie Appleby and indeed to the Godolphin Ireland team for producing him in the first instance. 

"Horses like Pinatubo are the rarest of commodities and the pleasure he has given so far to the team is very difficult to describe in words. He possesses an amazingly laid-back temperament, which is a great hallmark of any champion—equine or otherwise. With this in mind, we are already dreaming of next season's classics. 

"Many thanks indeed from all at Godolphin."

Owner-breeder Prince Khalid Abdullah gained a third Cartier Racing Award this year courtesy of the unbeaten Quadrilateral, who was named Cartier 2-Year-Old Filly. The Roger Charlton-trained daughter of Frankel was unbeaten in three starts under talented young jockey Jason Watson and her season culminated with victory in the bet365 Fillies' Mile (G1) at Newmarket in October.

Lord Grimthorpe accepted the award and said: "That was really something of a great surprise! I know Prince Khalid will be absolutely thrilled to get this award for a daughter of Frankel, who is so close to his heart. 

"Congratulations to Roger and everyone at Beckhampton—Harry, Alan, David and most of all I would really like to thank Jason Watson. Two years ago, he had ridden two winners professionally and has come through riding over 100 winners and been champion apprentice. What a fantastic job he did under very cool hands and shoulders.

"Thank you very much."

The Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award Of Merit for 2019 goes to Pat Smullen. One of the outstanding jockeys of his generation and a nine-time champion in his native Ireland, Pat received devastating news in 2018 when diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. A man of outstanding resilience, he has thrown all his efforts into helping others who face the same condition. His outstanding fund-raising efforts have resulted in over €2.5 million ($2.75 million) being raised for Cancer Trials Ireland and culminated at the Curragh in September with the Pat Smullen Champions Race For Cancer Trials Ireland which saw stars from the past including Sir A P McCoy and Ruby Walsh return to the saddle.

Pat Smullen was present to accept the award and said: "What an honor to receive an award in front of such an illustrious crowd in a sport I would describe as the greatest industry there is. 

"I would like to thank everyone at Cartier and the Daily Telegraph for an amazing night. It has given me great pleasure to be here. I have been so fortunate throughout my life to do something I love. I really think in the present moment we should appreciate what we have, and the special industry racing is. I have got to travel the world and that has all been made possible by horses. Horses are my life; have been my life and I just want to pay tribute to the winners tonight who are the equine athletes. 

"I have been able to work for Dermot Weld, all these owners such as Moyglare Stud and the Haefner family. They have been so good to me during my career and have been so supportive in the last two years. I don't like to single people out, but I am very grateful for their support.

"What I have had to face in the last two years has been very difficult, but it has given me great pleasure and made me very proud to see what we achieved on Longines Irish Champions Weekend with HRI (Horse Racing Ireland) where we raised awareness for pancreatic cancer and it will make a huge difference to people going forward.

"I am very proud of that, but I am also very proud that at a time of need, what people have done to help me and to continue to help me and to support my cause in fighting pancreatic cancer is so unbelievable. People don't realise how important that this great industry that we all work in and love so much, that the challenges we face at the present time, we should rally and try and protect that. What can be achieved we showed over Irish Champions Weekend—we showed racing in a very positive way and that is equally important for what we did for cancer research.

"I would just like to thank Cartier again and, looking over the past winners, I feel very inadequate speaking to you all here, but it was gratefully received, but I'm truly honoured and proud to accept it. Thank you very much."

The Cartier Racing Awards were presented by Laurent Feniou, Managing Director Cartier UK, who said at the start of the evening: "It gives me huge pleasure to once again welcome you to The Dorchester.

"I feel truly privileged to stand in front of you tonight and honor the very best of horse racing. Since I joined Cartier a few years ago, I have the increasing pleasure of knowing you and going racing—it gives me a better and better feeling every year and I thank you for that. 

"As you know, these racing awards mean a lot to all of us at Cartier and I would like to raise a toast for the future of these brilliant awards—to the Cartier Racing Awards."