Glass Slippers 'Strengthened Up' Ahead of 2021 Campaign

Glass Slippers has been crowned Yorkshire Horse of the Year for 2020—and her rivals were immediately warned she could be even better in 2021.

The 5-year-old, owned and bred by Bearstone Stud, earned the award after giving Yorkshire its first Breeders' Cup success when landing the Turf Sprint (G1T) at Keeneland under Tom Eaves in November.

She remains in training and Kevin Ryan believes there could be more to come this season.

"She arrived back to us this week from her holidays and she's done fantastically," the trainer said from his base near Thirsk in North Yorkshire. "She's strengthened up again. She always had the type of frame that suggested she was going to get better with age.

"We're grateful to have her for another season, she's a magnificent mare, and we're so proud of what she's achieved.

"It was a very special day at Keeneland. She seems to come into her own at that time of year. She just needed a bit of luck in running and she got it."

Glass Slippers was winning her third group or grade 1 success at the Breeders' Cup, having also won the Longines Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp (G1) in 2019 and the Derrinstown Stud Flying Five (G1) at the Curragh earlier last season.

Looking ahead to her 2021 campaign, Ryan said: "She'll start off over five furlongs but it was 5 1/2 at the Breeders' Cup and the extra half-furlong helped her so I could see her stepping up to six at some stage."

The Go Racing In Yorkshire awards were staged online due to pandemic restrictions and, in paying tribute to Glass Slippers, chairman John Sexton said: "I'm old enough to remember Sheikh Albadou winning the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) for Britain in 1991, so I know her win at Keeneland was truly exceptional.

"My congratulations go to Kevin Ryan and all the team at Hambleton. 

"These awards remind us of what we are missing and I hope it will not be too long before we are all enjoying racing again on the nine superb racecourses in Yorkshire."

Dan Skelton was Crombie Wilkinson Solicitors Leading Jumps Trainer in Yorkshire and Brian Hughes the Top Jump Jockey, while Tim Easterby and Ben Curtis won the McClarrons Sport-sponsored flat equivalents.