Godolphin’s Benbatl expected to shake up Cartier award calculations
Godolphin star makes stealthy progress in competitive Older Horse of the Year category
Less than four weeks remain before the 2018 Cartier Racing Awards are handed out but there is still a lot to play for at major race meetings in Australia, England and to some extent North America.
Although the prestigious awards, which were founded in 1991, are only for European-based horses, their performance in other parts of the world contributes to their acculumation of points which help determine the winner.
As a result all eyes will be on Godolphin’s Benbatl, who is based at the stable’s headquarters in Newmarket, England, but is currently competing at the Australia Spring Carnival where he runs in next weekend’s allimportant Group 1 Cox Plate.
Godolphin have enjoyed an epic year, with the Dubaiowned international racing operation recording a landmark 25 Group 1 wins of this season, the most recent of which was achieved by Benbatl, who is trained by Saeed Bin Surour, when he won the Caulfied Stakes (G1) at Caulfield, Australia, on October 13.
Taking on top-rated horse
The four-year-old son of Dubawi is now poised to take on the world’s highest-rated horse Winx in the Group 11 Cox Plate on October 27.
Victory against the wonder mare will see Bin Surour’s colt shake up calculations for the Cartier Older Horse Award.
However, Saturday’s British Champions Day fixture at Ascot could be the first event to alter calculations for the Cartier Racing Awards, with several leading contenders set to run.
The 28th Cartier Racing Awards will be presented on the evening of Tuesday, November 13, at the Dorchester Hotel, London, England. European horseracing’s top awards are delivered through a tried and tested combination of points earned by horses in Pattern races (30 per cent), combined at the end of season with the opinions of a panel of racing experts and votes from readers of the Racing Post and The Daily Telegraph plus ITV Racing viewers (35 per cent).
The participation of the public plays a crucial role in determining the winners of each year’s Cartier Racing Awards and gives horse racing fans the chance to put forward their favourite horses in a meaningful way. Voting opens on October 24 via www.cartierracingawards.co.uk and closes at noon, UK time, on November 6.
The long-standing and prestigious awards were established in 1991 to reward excellence in horse racing. There are eight equine awards, ranging from the Cartier Horse Of The Year to the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt and Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly.