THE 26th annual Cartier Racing Awards were staged at the Dorchester Hotel in London this week and it was a night to remember for the Coolmore team, trainer Aidan O’Brien and jockey Ryan Moore as they landed an unprecedented five of the eight equine awards.

Then to top it all, Aidan O’Brien was announced as the recipient of the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit for 2016.

Star filly Minding was crowned both Cartier Horse of the Year and Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly following a remarkable season that saw her triumph five times at Group 1 level at distances ranging from a mile to a mile and a half.

On accepting the Cartier Horse of the Year Award, Moore, who partnered her on all of her 2016 starts, told Nick Luck, the introducer of the award: “I am very lucky to ride the best horses. From the first time I sat on Minding, I thought she was a bit different. She impressed me as a two-year-old at Newmarket and all this year she never let us down and never ran a bad race.

“Obviously, a fair bit of credit must go to Aidan and his team for keeping her going all through the year and performing so consistently and bravely every time. She was a pleasure to ride and, all being well, we will see her again next year.

“She didn’t get a smooth run in the Oaks (at Epsom Downs in June) but she dug me out of a hole and she kept performing. Her performance at Ascot (in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Sponsored by QIPCO) was very good and she was every bit as good at the end of the year as she was at the start, which I think is a sign of her toughness.

“She has a lot of class. She was good at two and three and I see no reason why that shouldn’t be any different next year. The horses have been great all year and I am delighted to be part of it.”

Coolmore’s UK representative Kevin Buckley accepted the Three-Year-Old Filly Award. He commented: “Minding has had a wonderful season. She raced at the highest level seven times and won five Group 1s. Her versatility was remarkable. It has been a truly magnificent season for Minding. It was a privilege to witness her career on the track and we look forward to seeing her again next year.”

FOUND RETIRED

Found, Minding’s year-older stable companion, took the Older Horse Award. The highlight of Found’s 2016 performances was leading home an historic 1-2-3 for the Coolmore/O’Brien team in Europe’s most prestigious race, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Accepting the award, Buckley said: “Found raced 16 times at the highest level during her career of 21 starts. She won, or was placed, in 13 of them. She is a Group 1 winner as a two-year-old, three-year-old and four-year-old. I guess she will be most remembered in racing history for her emphatic win in the Arc.

“Found is now retired to the Coolmore broodmare band, where she is a most welcome addition.

“There are plenty of arguments about future mating plans, but we look forward to hopefully seeing her progeny race in future years on both sides of the Atlantic.

“It is important to point out that Found and Minding are both home-breds. They were conceived, born and reared at Coolmore before going to Ballydoyle under Aidan and his excellent staff’s expertise for their racing careers.”

Churchill took the Two-Year-Old Colt Award following a superb campaign that culminated with Group 1 victories in the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes and the Dubai Dewhurst Stakes.

Accepting the award, Moore said: “Churchill is a special colt. I was lucky enough to ride him on most of his starts and he got better all through the year. He has always been held in high regard at Ballydoyle and we think he has a very exciting future. Hopefully, we can look forward to him next year.”

The fifth award for the Coolmore/O’Brien team was that for Stayer which went to Order Of St George. The four-year-old landed the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot and was also a fine third to stable companion Found when dropped in trip for the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Coolmore manager Christy Grassick said: “This is a special award to a lot of people in Coolmore because Order Of St George was bred by Paget Bloodstock whose key members are Harry King, David O’Loughlin, Maurice Moloney and Dermot Ryan. They are all very much of our operation and I must give them a special mention. We must also give a special mention to Galileo who keeps popping up here for some reason! The good news is that Order Of St George stays in training again next year.”

All five Coolmore Cartier Racing Award winners were sired by Galileo.