EMOTIONS ran high at the 29th annual Cartier Racing Awards held in London on Thursday – and not because of the horses being honoured. The climax to the evening was the presentation of the Cartier and Daily Telegraph Award of Merit, and many tears were shed as Pat Smullen was named as the recipient.

The exploits of the multiple champion jockey in the saddle have been somewhat overshadowed since last year by his heroic battle with pancreatic cancer, while his quest to raise much-needed research funding has forever sealed his place in the hearts of racing and non-racing people. Accompanied by his wife Frances, Smullen was given a standing ovation that lasted for the longest time.

Accepting the award, Smullen said: “What an honour to receive an award in front of such an illustrious crowd, in a sport I would describe as the greatest industry there is. I have been so fortunate throughout my life to do something I love. I really think in the present moment we should appreciate what we have, and the special industry racing is.

“Horses are my life, have been my life and I just want to pay tribute to the winners tonight who are the equine athletes. I have been able to work for Dermot Weld, and owners such as Moyglare Stud and the Haefner family. They have been so good to me during my career and have been so supportive in the last two years. I don’t like to single people out, but I am very grateful for their support.

“What I have had to face in the last two years has been very difficult, but it has given me great pleasure and made me very proud to see what we achieved on Longines Irish Champions Weekend with HRI where we raised awareness for pancreatic cancer, and it will make a huge difference to people going forward.

“I am very proud of that, but I am also very proud that at a time of need, what people have done to help me and to continue to help me and to support my cause in fighting pancreatic cancer is so unbelievable. Looking over the past winners I feel very inadequate speaking to you all here, but it was gratefully received, but I’m truly honoured and proud to accept it. Thank you very much.”

On the equine front, the night belonged to John Gosden and his charges. Horses from his powerful Clarehaven Stables scooped five of the eight equine awards.

Connections of Enable, Lord Grimthorpe, Douglas Erskine-Crum, Frankie Dettori and John Gosden, pictured with Cartier UK managing director Laurent Feniou \ Cartier

Enable was crowned Cartier Horse Of The Year for the second time, having previously won in 2017. She became just the third horse to be a two-time Cartier Horse Of The Year after Frankel (2011 and 2012) and Ouija Board (2004 and 2006).

Bred by owner Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farms, the five-year-old Nathaniel mare, the only European-based filly or mare to garner career earnings of over £10 million, remains in training for 2020. Douglas Erskine-Crum said: “You have heard from Teddy (Lord Grimthorpe) what she means to the team and it is the team that got her there.” The Juddmonte managing director paid tribute to Philip Mitchell, Simon Mockridge, Rory Mahon, Teddy Grimthorpe, John Gosden and Frankie Dettori, adding “I would just like to add the whole Juddmonte team does not work for a company, we work for the most marvellous individual - Prince Khalid. He will be thrilled, as will his sons and his whole family. Many of you will have seen he had seven grandsons at Ascot and at Longchamp. The future is bright for Juddmonte.”

Horses trained by Gosden have won the Cartier Horse Of The Year Award in five of the last six years, courtesy of Kingman, Golden Horn, Roaring Lion and Enable. Enable was also named Cartier Older Horse and equals the record of Frankel, another Juddmonte homebred. In his acceptance speech Lord Grimthorpe paid a tribute to Enable’s groom Imran Shawani.

Stradivarius, trained by Gosden, won the Cartier Stayer Award for the second time. Owned and bred by Bjorn Nielsen, the five-year-old Sea The Stars horse was a repeat winner of the Group 1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot and the Qatar Goodwood Cup. He will remain in training.

Another repeat winner for Gosden was Too Darn Hot, who was named the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt. Bred by Lord and Lady Lloyd-Webber’s Watership Down Stud, the son of Dubawi was crowned Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt in 2018. Lady Lloyd-Webber said: “We got there in the end this year - it wasn’t without its problems and this is really the biggest prize of the whole year.” Too Darn Hot will stand at Dalham Hall Stud in 2020.

The fifth award on the night for a Gosden runner was the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly accolade which went to Star Catcher. Another homebred, Anthony Oppenheimer’s daughter of Sea The Stars landed the Group 1 Kerrygold Irish Oaks, Qatar Prix Vermeille and QIPCO British Champions Fillies and Mares Stakes. Oppenheimer said: “She is an amazing filly and tough as nails. I hope she is going to run again next year.”

Gosden said: “They are lovely horses to train, and I am lucky in having very good owners and breeders who send the horses to me.

“I also have fabulous staff to help me prepare them on the day and a pretty good old jockey too! The contribution of owner-breeders should never be forgotten. It is terribly hard to breed good horses. But these people put a lot into it and are very important to our business - you can buy at the sales but that is a bit of a short cut.”

Sheikh Mohammed’s Godolphin won two awards. Blue Point, trained by Charlie Appleby and off to stud at Kildangan in the spring, won the 2019 Cartier Sprinter Award. He became the first horse the complete the King’s Stand/Diamond Jubilee double in the same year since 2003.

Godolphin also gained the honours in the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt division with Pinatubo. Another son of Shamardal trained by Charlie Appleby, Pinatubo was unbeaten in six starts, including a breath-taking success in the Group 1 Goffs Vincent O’Brien Stakes by nine lengths at the Curragh.

Godolphin won two awards and reprseenting the organisation were Sam Bullard, William Buick and Charlie Appleby, pictured receiving Blue Point's trophy from Laurent Feniou \ Cartier

Liam O’Rourke collected the award and said: “Horses like Pinatubo are the rarest of commodities and the pleasure he has given so far to the team is very difficult to describe in words. He possesses an amazingly laidback temperament, which is a great hallmark of any champion - equine or otherwise.”

Owner-breeder Prince Khalid Abdullah gained a third Cartier Racing Award this year courtesy of the unbeaten Quadrilateral, who was named Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly. The Roger Charlton-trained daughter of Frankel’s season culminated with victory in the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket in October.

With Harry Herbert at the podium for the 29th time, the awards were presented by Laurent Feniou, managing director of Cartier UK.

Cartier Award winners

Award of Merit: Pat Smullen

Horse of the Year: Enable

Two-year-old colt: Pinatubo

Two-year-old filly: Quadrilateral

Three-year-old filly: Star Catcher

The Oppenheimer family won the three-year-old filly award for Star Catcher, presented by Laurent Feniou \ Cartier

Three-year-old colt: Too Darn Hot

Sprinter: Blue Point

Stayer: Stradivarius

Older horse: Enable

Cartier jury

Marcus Armytage, Ralph Beckett, Sir Frances Brooke, Richard Brown, Julia Budd, Alan Byrne, Ed Chamberlin, Martin Cruddace, William Derby, Maureen Haggas, Gina Harding, Matthew Imi, Peter Jensen, Hugo Palmer, Leo Powell (The Irish Field) and Aly Vance