The eyes and ears of the racing world will be trained on Tuesday night on London where the 25th Cartier Racing Awards will be presented.

This gala occasion celebrates the very best of European flat racing and eight equine awards will be presented. Eight Irish-trained horses are in contention for honours, with Legatissimo being one of four in the running for the most coveted equine prize on the night, the Horse of the Year.

Classic winner of three Group 1 races, and runner-up in three more, she faces a strong challenge from Golden Horn, Muhaarar and Solow for the main award. She is also shortlisted against Found, Covert Love and Simple Verse in an outstanding group seeking the three-year-old filly award.

Gleneagles is the sole Irish three-year-old colt in his category, facing the Derby winner Golden Horn, Jack Hobbs and the outstanding sprinter Muhaarar. The latter is the only horse nominated in three categories.

All the Irish nominees on the night, with the exception of Legatissimo, are trained by Aidan O’Brien in Ballydoyle. Order Of St George challenges for the Cartier Stayer accolade, while two Ballydoyle inmates, Air Force Blue and Johannes Vermeer, are included in the two-year-old colts category.

The strength in depth of the two-year-old fillies in Ireland is demonstrated by the inclusion of Ballydoyle and Minding among the quartet for their award. One of their challengers is another to sport the Coolmore group colours, namely the American-trained Acapulco.

The only categories in which we do not have a nominated horse are for older horses and sprinters. Given the recent successes for Irish-trained speedsters it is a pity that we have no sprinter this year to make the list, while only Amazing Maria breaks the French stranglehold on the older horse award.

The awards have evolved over the last quarter of a century and have been won by many outstanding performers. In their inaugural year in 1991 the Horse of the Year title was bestowed on Arazi who had amazed the racing world with his victory in the Breeder’ Cup Juvenile.

Since then we have seen awards given to some of the best racehorses to grace the turf, with Sea The Stars and Frankel among them in recent times. Frankel is the only colt to win two Horse of the Year awards, while Ouija Board, the dam of Derby winner Australia, is the only female to collect the main prize twice.

Congratulations to all nominees on Tuesday night. To be counted among the best of the year is an achievement in itself.