Blue Bolt is still top of the Cartier Horse of the Year standings after British Champions Day, but the latest update has a new name in the top five. Ombudsman‘s brilliant Champion Stakes success at Ascot has lifted him into a three-way tie for fourth, while Almeraq has taken over at the head of the sprinters.
The standings now cover points earned in Pattern races up to and including Sunday 18 October, so Champions Day and the Dewhurst and Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket have all been counted since the previous standings after Arc weekend. The leaders in the Horse of the Year race did not add to their tallies, however, so Blue Bolt’s four-point advantage over Daryz is unchanged.
Cartier Horse of the Year
Andrew Balding’s Blue Bolt (144), Francis-Henri Graffard’s dual Arc winner Daryz (140) and Scandinavia (136) are still the top three, and the gaps between them have not moved. The big mover is Ombudsman, whose devastating turn of foot to beat Calandagan in the Champion Stakes took John and Thady Gosden’s five-year-old to 128 points, level with True Love and Bow Echo.
Calandagan‘s runner-up effort also lifts him into the top ten on 104, where he joins Gstaad and Constitution River. Neither Ballydoyle colt picked up any points on Champions Day, as Gstaad could only finish eighth as favourite in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes and Constitution River never got involved in the Champion Stakes. Precise, Diamond Necklace and Sun Goddess each slip a place without losing any points.
| Pos | Horse | Points | Previous pos (pts), 4 Oct | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Bolt | 144 | 1 (144) | – |
| 2 | Daryz | 140 | 2 (140) | – |
| 3 | Scandinavia | 136 | 3 (136) | – |
| =4 | True Love | 128 | =4 (128) | – |
| =4 | Ombudsman | 128 | Outside top 10 | NEW |
| =4 | Bow Echo | 128 | =4 (128) | – |
| =7 | Precise | 124 | =6 (124) | ▼ 1 |
| =7 | Diamond Necklace | 124 | =6 (124) | ▼ 1 |
| 9 | Sun Goddess | 116 | 8 (116) | ▼ 1 |
| =10 | Gstaad | 104 | =9 (104) | ▼ 1 |
| =10 | Constitution River | 104 | =9 (104) | ▼ 1 |
| =10 | Calandagan | 104 | Outside top 10 | NEW |
Previous positions are from the standings for points earned up to and including Sunday 4 October.
Cartier Older Horse
Blue Bolt and Daryz still lead the older horse division, but Ombudsman (128) and Calandagan (104) now complete the top four. Bay City Roller added 12 points for his third in the Champion Stakes to move on to 100. Kalpana drops out of the top five, as there was no historic hat-trick in the Fillies & Mares Stakes, where she could only finish seventh behind Minnie Hauk.
| Pos | Horse | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue Bolt | 144 |
| 2 | Daryz | 140 |
| 3 | Ombudsman | 128 |
| 4 | Calandagan | 104 |
| 5 | Bay City Roller | 100 |
Three-year-olds
There is no change at the top of the three-year-old colts’ division, where Bow Echo leads on 128 from Constitution River and Gstaad (104). French Classic winner Rayif picked up 12 points for his third in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, taking him from 80 to 92, ahead of Christmas Day and Item on 80.
| Pos | Horse | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bow Echo | 128 |
| =2 | Constitution River | 104 |
| =2 | Gstaad | 104 |
| 4 | Rayif | 92 |
| =5 | Christmas Day | 80 |
| =5 | Item | 80 |
The fillies’ standings are unchanged at the top, with True Love (128) holding a four-point lead over Ballydoyle stablemates Diamond Necklace and Precise. Thundering On (72) and Venetian Sun (64) complete the top five.
| Pos | Horse | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | True Love | 128 |
| =2 | Diamond Necklace | 124 |
| =2 | Precise | 124 |
| 4 | Thundering On | 72 |
| 5 | Venetian Sun | 64 |
Cartier Sprinter
Almeraq’s last-gasp success in the British Champions Sprint, his third Group 1 of the season, was worth 32 points and took William Haggas’ four-year-old from 64 to 96. That is enough to overhaul Comanche Brave, who led the division on 83 in the previous update. Stablemate Division (42) is fourth after finishing third at Ascot, and runner-up Paborus joins a four-way tie on 40.
| Pos | Horse | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Almeraq | 96 |
| 2 | Comanche Brave | 83 |
| 3 | Venetian Sun | 64 |
| 4 | Division | 42 |
| =5 | American Affair | 40 |
| =5 | Miss Yechance | 40 |
| =5 | Mission Central | 40 |
| =5 | Paborus | 40 |
Cartier Stayer
Scandinavia (136) still holds a huge lead among the stayers, with Caballo De Mar unchanged on 90 after finishing only eighth in the Long Distance Cup. That race went to 33/1 shot Mount Atlas, who enters the top five on 48 alongside runner-up Queenstown, while Highwayman‘s third added eight points to take him to 56.
| Pos | Horse | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scandinavia | 136 |
| 2 | Caballo De Mar | 90 |
| 3 | Highwayman | 56 |
| =4 | Mount Atlas | 48 |
| =4 | Queenstown | 48 |
Two-year-olds: Darkness Falls doubles his tally
Aidan O’Brien’s Darkness Falls doubled his points from 32 to 64 when edging out Desert Castle in the Dewhurst, and he is now just four behind Folsom Blues (68) in the juvenile colts’ standings. Dewhurst third Great Barrier Reef enters the top five on 36, behind Orthodox (48) and Al Hudaiba (44).
| Pos | Horse | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Folsom Blues | 68 |
| 2 | Darkness Falls | 64 |
| 3 | Orthodox | 48 |
| 4 | Al Hudaiba | 44 |
| 5 | Great Barrier Reef | 36 |
Sun Goddess (116) remains 44 points clear among the juvenile fillies, ahead of Green Empress (72). Senorita Bonita enters in third on 56, while Charlie Appleby’s Musical Times joins Libertango on 48 after landing the Fillies’ Mile as the 4/9 favourite.
| Pos | Horse | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sun Goddess | 116 |
| 2 | Green Empress | 72 |
| 3 | Senorita Bonita | 56 |
| =4 | Libertango | 48 |
| =4 | Musical Times | 48 |
What comes next?
Pattern race points make up only 30% of the final verdict, with the remaining 70% split equally between votes from a panel of racing journalists and handicappers and the racing public. Blue Bolt may lead on points, but Daryz’s Arc double and Ombudsman’s Champion Stakes masterclass will give voters plenty to think about.
The juvenile colts’ race could change again at Doncaster on Saturday, where Aidan O’Brien is mob-handed in the Futurity Trophy, the final Group 1 of the British Flat season.
Commercial notice: This article on GG.co.uk contains affiliate links. The offers we promote come from operators that we trust and our experts have first-hand experience dealing with. If you open an account through one of these affiliate links then GG will earn revenue. However, we ensure that the money earned goes back into improving and enhancing our coverage of horse racing and other sports, as we look to provide an excellent service to our growing audience.