Multiple Grade/Group 1 queen OUIJA BOARD (GB) (Cape Cross [Ire]) put her seal
of approval on 2006 when named Horse of the Year and Cartier Older Horse at the
2006 Cartier Racing Awards, which were announced Wednesday evening at the Four
Seasons Hotel in London. The talented five-year-old became the first horse to be
named Cartier Horse of the Year twice in the 16-year history of the awards,
having already earned that honor, as well as Three-Year-Old Filly, in 2004 for
owner Lord Derby.
Ouija Board, who will be retired after this season, made her 2006 debut a
fourth in the Dubai Sheema Classic (UAE-G1) before just missing by a neck while
third in the Queen Elizabeth II Cup (HK-G1). She earned her first win of the
year while taking the Prince of Wales’s S. (Eng-G1) at Royal Ascot over Dubai
World Cup (UAE-G1) hero Electrocutionist. The dark bay mare
proceeded to take the Nassau S. (Eng-G1) before going for her second Breeders’
Cup Filly & Mare Turf (G1), which she captured in 2004.
Her runner-up finish in last year’s edition of the Filly & Mare Turf was
quickly redeemed with a 1/4-length runaway victory at Churchill Downs, enabling
the Edward Dunlop-trained Ouija Board to beat out Pride (Peintre Celebre),
Alexandrova (Sadler’s Wells), Teofilo (Galileo [Ire]) and George Washington
(Ire) (Danehill) for Horse of the Year honors. She defeated Pride, Hurricane Run (Ire) (Montjeu
[Ire]), Shirocco (Ger) (Monsun) and Reverence (Mark of Esteem [Ire]) in the
Older Horse category, and Ouija Board has now earned four
Cartier Awards.
GEORGE WASHINGTON may not have been able to overtake Ouija Board for Horse of
the Year, but the bay colt beat out Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (Fr-G1) victor
Rail Link (Dansili), Irish Derby (Ire-G1) hero Dylan Thomas (Ire) (Danehill),
Epsom Derby (Eng-G1) winner Sir Percy (Mark of Esteem [Ire]) and Breeders’ Cup
Turf (G1) king Red Rocks (Ire) (Galileo [Ire]) for the Cartier Three-Year-Old
Award. Trained by Aidan O’Brien, George Washington was a 2 1/2-length victor in
his season debut, the English Two Thousand Guineas (Eng-G1), and captured the
Queen Elizabeth II S. (Eng-G1) prior to trying the dirt for the first time in
the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), where he ran sixth.
MANDESHA (Desert Style) ran up five wins from seven starts this year, making
her career debut an off-the-board finish in a Longchamp maiden on April 30. It
was her next six races, where she finished in front each time, that earned the
bay lass the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly Award over Alexandrova, Speciosa
(Danehill Dancer), Nannina (Medicean) and Confidential Lady (Singspiel [Ire]).
Though she finished first in those six races, including the Prix d’Astarte
(Fr-G1), Prix de Vermeille (Fr-G1) and Prix de l’Opera (Fr-G1), she was
disqualified and placed last in the Prix Chloe (Fr-G3) in early July.
Though not chosen Horse of the Year, TEOFILO was still an easy pick for
Cartier Two-Year-Old after going undefeated from five career starts this year.
After breaking his maiden, the colt posted wins in the Tyros S., Futurity S.
(Ire-G2), National S. (Ire-G1) and Dewhurst S. (Eng-G1) to join the honorees on
Wednesday. FINSCEAL BEO (Mr. Greeley) ended her year on an upbeat note to earn the
Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly Award, capturing the Rockfel S. (Eng-G2) and Prix
Marcel Boussac (Fr-G1).
YEATS (Ire) (Sadler’s Wells) contested just three races in Europe in 2006, but
considering two of those were victories in the Gold Cup S. (Eng-G1) and Goodwood Cup (Eng-G2), the O’Brien
charge was named Cartier Stayer. The five-year-old also finished second in the
Irish St. Leger (Ire-G1), and he traveled down under to record a seventh in the
Melbourne Cup (Aus-G1) most recently. REVERENCE (Mark of Esteem [Ire])
posted a win in the Sprint Cup S. (Eng-G1) and a second in the Prix de l’Abbaye
de Longchamp (Fr-G1) to earn the title of Cartier Sprinter Award.
An 18-strong Cartier Jury named Peter Willett the recipient of the 2006
Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit. With more than 60 years of racing
experience encompassing roles as a journalist, author and breeder, Willett
modernized racing on the national and international stage with his development
of the Pattern system. The Award of Merit recognizes the person who, in the
opinion of the Jury, has done the most for European racing and/or breeding
either over their lifetime or within the past 12 months.