Roaring Lion named Horse of the Year at Cartier Awards

The 2018 Cartier Awards honoring Europe’s top horses were revealed Tuesday night in London, and what they really revealed were what a remarkable year it was for trainer John Gosden.

Gosden-trained horses took home five different awards, including Horse of the Year, which went to Roaring Lion.

Roaring Lion barely picked up his feet trying dirt in the Breeders’ Cup Classic but two weeks earlier had captured the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II at Ascot. The race was run over soft ground at one mile, and though Roaring Lion prefers firmer going and a slightly longer trip, he gutted out a victory on heart and class. Racing 1 1/4 miles on good ground, Roaring Lion earlier this season won the Group 1 Irish Champion Stakes, the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes, and the Group 1 Juddmonte International.

The son of Kitten’s Joy campaigned by Qatar Racing also won the Cartier Award in the 3-year-old colt division.

The Gosden-trained Enable, winner of her second Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and the Breeders’ Cup Turf this year, narrowly missed repeating as the Cartier Horse of the Year but was named champion older horse. Khalid Abdullah (who races as Juddmonte Farms in North America) bred and owns Enable, a 4-year-old daughter of Nathaniel who didn’t make her 2018 debut until September.

Too Darn Hot, another Gosden charge, was named champion 2-year-old colt following a perfect campaign that culminated with a victory in the Grade 1 Dewhurst. Too Darn Hot, by Dubawi, was bred and is owned by Andrew Lloyd Weber.

Gosden’s final winner was Stradivarius, the 4-year-old who won all five of his 2018 starts – including the Group 1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot and the Group 1 Goodwood Cup – and was recognized as champion stayer. Stradivarius, by Sea the Stars, was bred and is owned by Bjorn Nielsen.

Alpha Centauri, a finalist for Horse of the Year, was champion 3-year-old filly. The charismatic gray filly won the Irish 1000 Guineas, the Coronation Stakes, the Falmouth Stakes, and the Prix Jacques les Marois (all Group 1’s) before sustaining a career-ending injury while finishing second in her final start, the Matron Stakes in September at Leopardstown. The daughter of Mastercraftsman was campaigned by her breeder, the Niarchos family, and trained by Jessica Harrington.

Mabs Cross won a Cartier as champion sprinter for trainer Michael Dods and owner David Armstrong.

Skitter Scatter, an American-bred daughter of Scat Daddy trained by Patrick Prendergast for owners Anthony and Sonia Rogers, was the champion 2-year-old filly of 2018.