Aidan O’Brien cleans up at Cartier awards

Aidan O’Brien’s brilliant filly Minding has been named the Cartier horse of the year following an exceptional 2016 campaign which saw her win five Group One races.

And O’Brien himself was given the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit at a ceremony in London on Tuesday night, after landing a staggering 22 Group One and Grade One winners throughout the year.

Five of the eight awards handed out went to O’Brien, with Found, Churchill and Order Of St George also recognised after a fine season.

Three-year-old Galileo filly Minding, partnered throughout the year by Ryan Moore, won five of her seven starts in 2016, after a 2015 campaign which saw her named the two-year-old filly of the year.

Her season began with victory in the Qipco 1,000 Guineas at Newmarket, as she finished ahead of stablemates Ballydoyle and Alice Springs in an O’Brien one-two-three.

A surprise reverse followed in the Irish Guineas as she ran in behind Jet Setting at the Curragh, but she soon bounced back with victory in the Epsom Oaks, the Pretty Polly Stakes and then the Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood.

Clearly the outstanding three-year-old filly, the acid test for Minding would come as she took on the boys in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, with many predicting a shootout with Dermot Weld’s 2/1 favourite Harzand.

However, while a battle of the sexes unfolded it was not the one many expected, as French raider Almanzor edged out the gritty Found, with Minding running in for third place.

But the year ended on a high as Minding reverted to a mile for the first time since her Irish Guineas defeat and reversed the form with Jet Setting to take the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot, making it five of the best.

Minding is expected to stay in training as a four-year-old next season, with O’Brien saying last month: “I think that’s the plan (stay in training), I think that’s what the lads are thinking of at the moment. Nothing is written in stone, but she would be one to look forward to.”

O’Brien ultimately fell short of Bobby Frankel’s record of 25 Group Ones in a season - with Highland Reel providing his 22nd and final success of the season in last weekend’s Breeders’ Cup Turf under an excellent ride from Seamus Heffernan.

That race saw Highland Reel reverse the Arc result with Found. Found led home an O’Brien one-two-three in Chantilly - with Order Of St George third - in what was one of O’Brien’s finest training performances.

And Found, who was retired following her third place finish in Santa Anita, was named the Older Horse of the Year.

Found raced 10 times in 2016 and never finished outside of a place, with victory in the Arc proving her crowning glory after her Breeders’ Cup win in 2015 - where she beat 2015’s Horse of the Year, Golden Horn.

Elsewhere, Order Of St George was named the Stayer of the Year after he justified favouritism to win the Ascot Gold Cup in June.

That proved to be the highlight of the four-year-old’s season, and he later suffered a shock defeat to Wicklow Brave and Frankie Dettori in the Irish St. Leger as he was beaten down the straight having started the race a 1/7 favourite.

O’Brien’s fourth award winner was Churchill, who was named Two-Year-Old Colt of the Year.

Churchill was beaten in his seasonal outing at the Curragh in May but was supreme afterwards, and followed victory in September’s Vincent O’Brien National Stakes with a very impressive performance in the Dewhurst Stakes last month.

Churchill’s Dewhurst form was recently boosted further when Rivet, who ran in to fifth place at Newmarket, won the Racing Post trophy at Doncaster on October 22nd.

After that race O’Brien gave a glowing assessment of Churchill, he said: “We always thought he was very good, before he ran everything he did was always very easy and he took all the steps very easy.

“He’s never disappointed us in any way. He’s a big, solid horse.”

On the night the other award winners included Almanzor, who was named Three-year-old Colt of the Year.

Jean Claude Rouget’s impressive raider became the first French winner of the Irish Champion Stakes for 25 years at Leopardstown, and followed this success with victory in the Champions Stakes at Ascot. On both occasions Found followed him home in second.

Elsewhere, Quiet Reflection became the first three-year-old filly to win the Sprinter of the Year award, while USA-trained Lady Aurelia was named theTwo-Year-Old Filly of the Year.

But there was no doubt the evening - like much of the season - belonged to Aidan O’Brien.

2016 Cartier Racing Awards

Two-Year-Old Colt: Churchill Two-Year-Old Filly: Lady Aurelia Three-Year-Old Colt: Almanzor Three-Year-Old Filly: Minding Sprinter: Quiet Reflection Stayer: Order Of St George Older Horse: Found Horse of the Year: Minding owned by Derrick Smith, Sue Magnier and Michael Tabor Award of Merit: Aidan O’Brien