Enable capped an amazing year when dazzling in Europe's premier contest, the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, at Chantilly on Sunday and has laid down an outstanding claim to be crowned Cartier Horse of the Year 2017.
The 2017 Cartier Racing Awards will be presented at a glittering ceremony before an invited audience of 300 at the Dorchester Hotel, London, England, on the evening of Tuesday, November 14.
European horseracing's top awards are delivered through a tried and tested combination of points earned by horses in Pattern races (30 percent), combined at the end of season with the opinions of a panel of racing journalists/handicappers (35 percent) and votes from readers of the Racing Post and The Daily Telegraph plus ITV Racing viewers (35 percent).
The awards were established in 1991 to reward excellence in horseracing. There are eight equine awards, ranging from the Cartier Horse Of The Year to the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt and Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly.
In addition, the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit goes to the person or persons who, in the opinion of the special 15-strong Cartier Jury, has/have done the most for European racing and/or breeding either over their lifetime or within the past 12 months.
Enable (208 Pattern Race points), trained in Newmarket by John Gosden for owner-breeder Khalid Abdullah, was winning her fifth G1 of the year when successful by two and a half lengths in Europe's richest race, having previously landed the Investec Oaks, Darley Irish Oaks, King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (Sponsored by QIPCO) and Darley Yorkshire Oaks.
The 3-year-old daughter of Nathaniel created history by becoming the first British-trained filly to lift the 12-furlong French showpiece, while she provided her jockey Frankie Dettori with a record fifth Arc win.
In the Cartier Horse Of The Year division, Enable has a commanding lead over fellow 3-year-old filly Winter (164), a four-time G1 scorer in 2017 who came home ninth at Chantilly, with Coral-Eclipse and Juddmonte International winner Ulysses (152), who finished third behind Enable on Sunday, moving into third place.
Enable and Winter dominate the standings for Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly, while Ulysses now holds the lead over star miler Ribchester (142) in the Cartier Older Horse division.
There is no change at the top in the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt category, with Barney Roy (116) and Churchill (104) out in front.
Harry Angel (100) heads a very strong Cartier Sprinter division, having taken the G1 Darley July Cup and G1 32Red Sprint Cup so far this season. The consistent G1 Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes heroine Marsha (76) lies second after finishing runner-up to runaway winner Battaash (56) in the G1 Prix de l'Abbaye de Longchamp Longines at Chantilly on Sunday.
Big Orange (72) leads the way in the Cartier Stayer division, although his advantage is now down to a solitary point after Vazirabad (71) landed the G1 Qatar Prix du Cadran at Chantilly on September 30. Close behind the duo is Order Of St George (68), who captured the G1 Comer Group International Irish St. Leger for a second time at the Curragh on September 10 and finished a gallant fourth in the Arc.
It is also close at the top for the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt Award, with Beckford, Sioux Nation, US Navy Flag and Unfortunately inseparable on 48 points. The quartet all ran in the six-furlong G1 Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket on September 30, when US Navy Flag was successful ahead of Beckford (fifth), Sioux Nation (sixth) and Unfortunately (ninth).
There is a decisive leader for the Cartier Two-Year Filly category in Happily (80), who got the better of the colts in the G1 Qatar Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere at Chantilly on October 1. Owned by Coolmore Partners and trained by Aidan O'Brien, the Galileo filly captured the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh on September 10. The Coolmore team is also responsible for Clemmie (56), who landed her first G1 in the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes at Newmarket on September 30.
O'Brien, last year's Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit recipient, is closing in on Bobby Frankel's record of 25 G1 winners in a year. O'Brien has 22 so far in 2017.
Harry Herbert, Cartier's racing consultant, said: "Enable's breathtaking victory at Chantilly was out of the top drawer and she must rank as one of the best 3-year-old fillies of the modern era.
"She is set to be crowned Cartier Horse of the Year 2017, barring a truly sensational performance by another horse, and continue the outstanding record of Khalid Abdullah-owned and -bred horses at European racing's top awards.
"The season is far from over, however, with Newmarket's Dubai Future Champions Festival and QIPCO British Champions Day at Ascot to look forward to later this month."
Latest standings
Cartier Horse Of The Year
Enable - 208
Winter - 164
Ulysses - 152
Ribchester - 142
Decorated Knight - 128
Barney Roy - 116
Churchill - 104
Harry Angel - 100
Roly Poly - 96
Thunder Snow - 90
Cartier Older Horse
Ulysses - 152
Ribchester - 142
Decorated Knight - 128
Cloth Of Stars - 88
Highland Reel - 80
Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt
Barney Roy - 116
Churchill - 104
Harry Angel - 100
Thunder Snow - 90
Al Wukair - 72
Brametot - 72
Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly
Enable - 208
Winter - 164
Roly Poly - 96
Rhododendron - 80
Hydrangea - 72
Cartier Sprinter
Harry Angel - 100
Marsha - 76
Battaash - 56
Caravaggio - 56
Brando - 48
Lady Aurelia - 48
Tasleet - 48
Cartier Stayer
Big Orange - 72
Vazirabad - 71
Order Of St George - 68
Stradivarius - 56
Desert Skyline - 36
Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt
Beckford - 48
Sioux Nation - 48
US Navy Flag - 48
Unfortunately - 48
Verbal Dexterity - 40
Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly
Happily - 80
Clemmie - 56
Heartache - 36
Wild Illusion - 34
Different League - 32
Magical - 32