Minding Crowned Horse of the Year Cont
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WEDNESDAY, 9 NOVEMBER, 2016 MINDING CROWNED OP/ED: HOW DID FRANKEL FARE WITH HIS FIRST RUNNERS? HORSE OF THE YEAR By Kevin Blake It could readily be argued that Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) has been the most important horse in the modern history of British Flat racing. Not only did his phenomenal achievements on the track attract untold numbers of eyes to the sport for all the right reasons, he effectively launched British Champions Day on the road to success by himself, by starring in the first two years of that meeting. Remarkably, he is now doing much the same job for the thoroughbred breeding industry. Never before has there been such expectation and excitement surrounding a sire's first runners on the track as there has been this year with Frankel's offspring. His progeny were scrutinised to an unprecedented extent, with every runner that represented him generating headlines regardless of whether they won or lost. Cont. p4 Cartier Horse of the Year Minding | racingfotos.com The brilliant 3-year-old filly Minding (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), whose IN TDN AMERICA TODAY five Group 1 wins in 2016 included a pair of Classics and a victory SECRET GESTURE TOPS KEENOV OPENER over elder males in the G1 Queen Elizabeth II S., was named Qatar Racing and Newsells Park said goodbye Tuesday to Cartier Horse of the Year and Cartier 3-year-old filly at the Secret Gesture (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who topped the opening Cartier Racing Awards at the Dorchester Hotel in London on session at Keeneland November on a bid of $3.5 million. Tuesday night. Click or tap here to go straight to TDN America. Trained by Aidan O=Brien for a Coolmore partnership, Minding was last year=s Cartier 2-year-old filly champion on the merit of wins in the G1 Moyglare Stud S. and G1 Dubai Fillies= Mile. She opened her season with a victory in the G1 Qipco 1000 Guineas. She missed winning the Irish equivalent by a head before embarking on a three-race Group 1 win streak in the Investec Oaks, Pretty Polly S. and G1 Qatar Nassau S. Third in the G1 Qipco Irish Champion S. Sept. 10, she bounced back to win the QEII Oct. 15. Minding beat out Almanzor (Fr) (Wootton Bassett {GB}), Found (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Postponed (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Highland Reel (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) in the Horse of the Year category, and stablemate Alice Springs (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), as well as Quiet Reflection (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) and La Cressonniere (Fr) (Le Havre {Ire}), for 3-year-old filly honours. Minding was the headline act on a night that saw the Coolmore partners Sue Magnier, Derrick Smith and Michael Tabor set a Cartier awards record as the owners of five of the eight equine award winners. All five are trained by Aidan O=Brien, who himself won the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit. Cont. p2 TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 2 OF 12 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • 9 NOVEMBER, 2016 Minding Crowned Horse of the Year cont. from p1 The Karl Burke trainee earned a first Group 1 win in Royal Ascot=s G1 Commonwealth Cup June 17, and added the G1 >TDN Rising Star= Found, who led home a historic 1-2-3 for 32Red Sprint Cup S. in September after finishing third in the G1 O=Brien and the Coolmore partners in the G1 Qatar Prix de l=Arc Darley July Cup. She beat out Limato, Mecca=s Angel (Ire) (Dark de Triomphe, beat out Postponed, Highland Reel and Limato Angel {Ire}) and The Tin Man (GB) (Equiano {Fr}) in a tight finish (Ire) (Tagula {Ire}) for the Cartier Older Horse award. Found had for the award. finished second in five consecutive Group 1s this year before her The final equine winner, Lady Aurelia (Scat Daddy), also made Arc breakthrough, and the hard-knocking mare wrapped up the Cartier award history by becoming the first American-trained year with a second in runner to win a Cartier Racing Award when she took the 2-year- the Champion S. and old filly category. a third in last Named a >TDN Rising weekend=s GI Star= when breaking Breeders= Cup Turf. her maiden at Coolmore=s Order Of Keeneland, Lady St George (Ire) Aurelia shipped to (Galileo {Ire}) won Royal Ascot for the Cartier Stayer trainer Wesley Ward Award on the merit and Stonestreet Found and co. after the Arc | Racing Post of his victory in this Stable and partners year=s G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, and Churchill (Ire) (Galileo Lady Aurelia | Racing Post to win the G2 Queen {Ire}) was named Cartier 2-year-old colt after winning the G1 Mary S. by seven lengths. She returned to Europe in August to Goffs Vincent O=Brien National S. and the G1 Dubai Dewhurst S. take the G1 Darley Prix Morny at Deauville and was third in the "I would like to extend my congratulations to the Coolmore G1 Cheveley Park S. Sept. 24. team on the phenomenal achievement of gaining a record five "It is thrilling to see the Cartier 2-year-old filly award go to the awards at the 26th annual Cartier Racing Awards,@ said Harry American-trained Lady Aurelia, emphasising how international Herbert, Cartier=s racing consultant. "Minding and Found are racing has become,@ Herbert said. "The 3-year-old filly Quiet brilliant fillies, while Order Of St George is a stayer out of the top Reflection is a worthy winner of the Cartier Sprint Award, while drawer and Churchill's performances bode well for 2017. Aidan Almanzor's dominance at 10 furlongs is testament to superb O'Brien's achievements, with Minding, Found, Order of St handling." George and Churchill--plus many others in 2016 and during the last 25 years--speak for themselves, and this outstanding trainer Cont. p3 richly deserves the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit. Ecurie Antonio Caro and Gerard Augustin- Normand=s Almanzor was named Cartier 3-year-old male. After finishing third on seasonal debut in the G3 Prix de Fontainebleau Apr. 20, the Jean- Claude Rouget Almanzor | Racing Post trainee went unbeaten in five starts through the rest of the season, winning the G1 Prix du Jockey Club before doubling up in the Irish Champion and Champion S. in the fall. Almanzor is set to race on next year. Quiet Reflection (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) made history at the awards by becoming the first-ever female to receive the Cartier Sprinter award. TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 3 OF 12 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • 9 NOVEMBER, 2016 O=Brien Receives Award Of Merit... O=Brien trained his first group winner on the flat in 1994, the Aidan O=Brien, champion trainer 19 times on the flat in Ireland same year the legendary Vincent O=Brien retired from training at and five times on the flat in Britain, has earned the Cartier/Daily Ballydoyle. Telegraph Award of Merit for a career in which he has also won O=Brien was head-hunted by Coolmore master John Magnier to 25 British Classics, 34 Irish Classics and more than 250 Group 1 take over at Ballydoyle, and Magnier recalled, "What first races worldwide. O=Brien=s former boss, master trainer Jim attracted me to Aidan was quite simple. Every day in Coolmore I Bolger, summarised O=Brien by saying, "He's a quick learner, pick up the papers and give them a good read. Every day this very intelligent, a popular young man. His industry and fella O'Brien was training a winner, then it became two winners dedication are tremendous. I'd have done anything short of and then three. It was clearly more than just a marrying him to keep him working for trend. It became quite extraordinary.@ me." It didn=t take long for O=Brien=s genius to One of six children of Stella and Denis take effect at Ballydoyle. In 1997 he won O=Brien, Aidan O=Brien left school in the three of the five Irish Classics with Desert King fifth form to work for Curragh trainer PJ and Classic Park, and the following year he Finn. O=Brien soon started working for won the G1 2000 Guineas and G1 Epsom Oaks Bolger, where he met his wife, with King of Kings and Shahtoush. Annemarie. Aidan and Annemarie began Notable highlights for O=Brien after the turn training in 1992 at Piltown in Co. Kilkenny, of the century include the five Group 1 wins where their eldest son Joseph is now Aidan O=Brien | Racing Post of Giant=s Causeway (Storm Cat); a first based. The training license was initially in G1 Epsom Derby with Galileo (Ire) (Sadler=s Wells), who also Annemarie=s name, but Aidan took over after the birth of Joseph went on to add the G1 Irish Derby and the G1 King George VI in May 1993. O=Brien started out with a mix of jumpers and flat and Queen Elizabeth S. and is the foundation for the Ballydoyle horses, and quickly established himself as a rising star of the Irish training ranks, and was named champion jumps trainer programme today; five-time Group 1 winner Rock Of Gibraltar each season between 1993/94 and 1997/98. (Ire) (Danehill); Derby and dual GI Breeders= Cup Turf winner TDN EUROPE/INTERNATIONAL • PAGE 4 OF 12 • THETDN.COM WEDNESDAY • 9 NOVEMBER, 2016 High Chaparral (Ire) (Sadler=s Wells); four-time G1 Gold Cup winner Yeats (Ire) (Sadler=s Wells); and other standouts like George Washington (Ire) (Danehill), Henrythenavigator (Kingmambo), Duke Of Marmalade (Ire) (Danehill), Dylan Thomas (Ire) (Danehill), So You Think (NZ) (High Chaparral {Ire}), Starspangledbanner (Aus) (Choisir {Aus}), Camelot (GB) (Montjeu {Ire}), Australia (GB) (Galileo {Ire}) and St Nicholas Abbey (Ire) (Montjeu {Ire}).