DYLAN THOMAS OUT TO ENHANCE LEAD IN RACE FOR CARTIER HONOURS
Dylan Thomas confirmed himself the outstanding older racehorse in training in Europe with a dramatic victory in the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on October 7, which took his points total to 228 in the race to be crowned Cartier Horse of the Year as well as champion Cartier Older Horse.
The Aidan O'Brien-trained four-year-old, who has also captured the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes and the Irish Champion Stakes during a remarkable season, seeks to stretch his lead over Manduro (136) and Ramonti (128) when he contests the Breeders' Cup Turf at Monmouth Park later today (Saturday, October 27).
New Approach (88) followed in the hoof-prints of stable companion Teofilo when extending his unbeaten run to five in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes on Champions' Day at Newmarket on October 20. Jim Bolger's stable star is now 20 points ahead of Godolphin's Rio De La Plata (68) in the fight for the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt award.
It is tight between Jim Bolger-trained Saoirse Abu (76) and Natagora (72), with French-based Pascal Bary, for the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly category.
Victory in the Epsom Derby and the Juddmonte International has helped Authorized (112) establish a 23-point lead over French Derby hero Lawman (89) in the battle for Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt honours, while Peeping Fawn (142) is in pole position to capture the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly award after her amazing campaign which has yielded four wins at the highest level.
Yeats (80), who captured the Gold Cup at Ascot for the second year running this season, is ahead of Le Miracle (54) in the Cartier Stayer category, while Marchand D'Or (68), trained by Freddie Head, leads Red Clubs (56) in the Cartier Sprinter division.
The Cartier Racing Awards, now in their 17th year, are European horseracing's most prestigious accolades, and will be presented during a glittering ceremony in London on November 14, 2007. The coveted eight horse awards celebrate the champions of the Turf.
Horseracing's equivalent of the Oscars, the Cartier Racing Awards are determined by points earned in Pattern races combined with the opinions of a panel of racing journalists plus votes from readers of the Racing Post and The Daily Telegraph, a system which accurately rewards supreme excellence.
POINTS AWARDED IN PATTERN RACES UP TO AND INCLUDING OCTOBER 26
