Dylan Thomas Recently Enhances His Claim To Cartier Honours

Dylan Thomas leapt to the head of affairs for the 2006 Cartier Racing Awardfor three-year-old colts and threw down a challenge for Cartier Horse ofthe Year honours with a gutsy neck victory over Ouija Board (92 points) inthe 10-furlong Group One Baileys Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown onSaturday, September 9.

The Cartier Racing Awards, European horseracing´s equivalent of the Oscars,are now in their 16th year, and honour the equine champions of the year,plus one person.

The coveted awards are revealed and presented after the end of the 2006Flat season at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mayfair, London, England, onWednesday, November 15.

The eight horse awards are determined by points earned in Pattern racescombined with the opinions of a panel of racing journalists plus votes fromreaders of the Racing Post and The Daily Telegraph, a system whichaccurately rewards supreme excellence.

The Aidan O´Brien-trained Dylan Thomas (100 points), successful in theBudweiser Irish Derby after finishing a close third in the Vodafone Derby,is currently clear of his Epsom conqueror, Sir Percy (72 points), who hasnot raced since, in the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt category, courtesy ofhis battling Leopardstown triumph and earlier fourth to the four-year-oldNotnowcato (64 points) in the Juddmonte International Stakes at York.

Stormy River, runner-up to Librettist in the Prix du Moulin de Longchampover a mile on September 3, sits second in the division with 84 points,Stan James 2000 Guineas winner George Washington has 64 points afterfinishing third in the Group Two totesport Celebration Mile at Goodwood onAugust 27 and Boylesports Irish 2,000 Guineas victor Araafa is on 62points.

Alexandrova (108 points) is head and shoulders above her peers in theCartier Three-Year-Old Fillies´ Award. Also trained by O´Brien - Ireland´schampion trainer - she took on older horses for the first time in the GroupOne Darley Yorkshire Oaks at York on August 23 and scored an emphaticvictory to complete the coveted English, Irish and Yorkshire Oaks treble.

The Alain de Royer Dupre-trained Mandesha (64 points) emerged as a possiblechallenger to Alexandrova´s divisional supremacy with an impressive successin the Group One Prix Vermeille Lucien Barriere at Longchamp on Sunday,September 10. The victory saw the Zahra Aga Khan-owned filly draw level onpoints with Germance, who added to her Group One Montjeu Coolmore PrixSaint-Alary triumph with an easy win in the Group Three Darley Prix de laNonette at Deauville on August 20.

The brilliant 2005 Cartier Horse of the Year, Hurricane Run, leads theCartier Older Horse division with 96 points, four more than the Breeders´Cup bound 2004 Cartier Horse of the Year, Ouija Board.

The Andre Fabre-trained Hurricane Run narrowly failed to add to his superbrecord on September 10 in the Group Two Prix Foy Gray d´Albion Barriere atLongchamp, going down by a neck to stablemate Shirocco (64 points), but thepair are set to lock horns again in the Group One Prix de l´Arc de Triompheat the same course next month, a race which could determine the destinationof at least one Cartier Racing Award.

Godolphin´s Librettist (72 points), with the Group One Queen Elizabeth IIStakes at Ascot on September 23 his next run and the Breeders´ Cup Mile onthe horizon, comes into the reckoning for the Cartier Older Horse Awardafter an unbeaten run of five so far this season, the latest in two FrenchGroup Ones, the Prix du Haras de Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois atDeauville on August 13 and the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp on September 3. Reverence (81 points) has blazed to the lead in the race for the CartierSprinter Award, and lies third in the older horse category, after taking abrace of Group Ones in quick succession when capturing the five-furlong VCBet Nunthorpe Stakes at York on August 24, from Amadeus Wolf (40 points),followed by the Betfred Sprint Cup over six furlongs at Haydock nine dayslater.

The Eric Alston-trained five-year-old at the moment holds a definiteadvantage over fellow dual Group One winner Les Arcs (64 points), who isbeing aimed at Far-Eastern targets later in the season, and will bid tosecure the title with victory in the Group One Prix de l´Abbaye atLongchamp in early October.

Yeats (64 points), imperious in the Ascot Gold Cup and ABN AMRO GoodwoodCup, is still the number one stayer, but the ever-popular Sergeant Cecil ismaking a bold bid for Cartier Stayer Award recognition and took his haul to43 points with Group Two victories in the Weatherbys Insurance Lonsdale Cupat York in August and the GNER Doncaster Cup at the same course onSeptember 8. The Rod Millman-trained seven-year-old may now bid for a GroupOne triumph in the Prix du Cadran at Longchamp in October.

The Cartier two-year-old categories are coming to life, and there is allstill to play for with the big end of season juvenile prizes on thehorizon.

Dutch Art and Holy Roman Emperor jointly head the Cartier Two-Year-old Coltstandings with 48 points. The former, trained by Peter Chapple-Hyam,maintained his unbeaten record with a success in the Group One Darley PrixMorny at Deauville on August 20, while the O´Brien-trained Holy RomanEmperor took the Group One Independent Waterford Wedgwood Phoenix Stakes atthe Curragh on August 13.

Coventry Stakes winner Hellvelyn (32 points) was a length andthree-quarters second in the Phoenix Stakes and is joint third in thedivision alongside Paul Cole´s dual Group Two winner Strategic Prince,while the Kevin Ryan-trained Wi Dud is next best with 24 points followinghis deserved success in the Group Two Persimmon Homes Flying ChildersStakes at York on September 8.

Phoenix Stakes third Miss Beatrix holds the advantage in the CartierTwo-Year-old Filly category after subsequently capturing the Group OneMoyglare Stud Stakes at the Curragh on August 27. The KevinPrendergast-trained filly is 14 points clear of Jeremy Noseda´s SimplyPerfect, who was victorious over a mile in the Group Two Keepmoat May HillStakes at York on September 9.

The Noseda-trained Sander Camillo remains on 24 points, while Boccassini.Silk Blossom and Gilded each have 20 points.

Harry Herbert, Cartier´s racing consultant, commented today: 'The 2006season is building towards a thrilling climax, with outstanding candidatesvying for the ultimate accolade of Cartier Horse of the Year, including thepast two winners, Hurricane Run and Ouija Board, alongside potentialchampions such as Dylan Thomas, Sir Percy, George Washington, Librettist,Alexandrova, Reverence, Shirocco, Yeats and David Junior.

'The top horses continue to produce tremendous performances and I amlooking forward to the remaining Group and Grade One events, when questionsof supremacy will be resolved, and claims for several Cartier Racing Awardswill be made.

'The season to date has been excellent and there will undoubtedly be plentymore excitement to savour before the very best performers of 2006 arejustly rewarded for their prowess at the Cartier Racing Awards in London inNovember.'

For more information, please contact Harry Herbert, Cartier´s racingconsultant (01488 669166), Florence Paul of Cartier (020 7408 5738), SarahCarlsen of Cartier (020 7408 5740) or Mark Popham of Racenews (020 77040326)

Cartier Awards Points Update To September 11, 2006

CARTIER THREE-YEAR- OLD COLT

• DYLAN THOMAS 100
• STORMY RIVER 84
• SIR PERCY 72
• GEORGE WASHINGTON 64
• ARAAFA 62

CARTIER THREE-YEAR-OLD FILLY

• ALEXANDROVA 108
• GERMANCE 64
• MANDESHA 64
• SPECIOSA 62
• NANNINA 59

CARTIER TWO-YEAR-OLD COLT

• DUTCH ART 48
• HOLY ROMAN EMPEROR 48
• HELLVELYN 32
• STRATEGIC PRINCE 32
• WI DUD 24

CARTIER TWO-YEAR-OLD FILLY

• MISS BEATRIX 40
• SIMPLY PERFECT 26
• SANDER CAMILLO 24
• BOCCASSINI 20
• GILDED 20
• SILK BLOSSOM 20

CARTIER OLDER HORSE

• HURRICANE RUN 96
• OUIJA BOARD 92
• REVERENCE 81
• MANDURO 74
• LIBRETTIST 72

CARTIER SPRINTER

• REVERENCE 81
• LES ARCS 64
• AMADEUS WOLF 40
• MARCHAND D´OR 32
• BENBAUN 26

CARTIER STAYER

• YEATS 64
• SERGEANT CECIL 43
• REEFSCAPE 30
• MONTARE 24
• LORD DU SUD 20