People’s Choice Award Nominees Announced

The four nominees for the People's Choice Award, celebrating the most compelling moment in horse racing since the 2019 G1 Dubai World Cup, were announced by the Dubai Racing Club on Sunday. Jockey Hollie Doyle, 2020 G1 Prix du Cadran heroine Princess Zoe (Ger) (Jukebox Jury {Ire}), Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn})'s second G1 Japan Cup, and Messi's victory in the $1.9-million G1 Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown for Purebred Arabians were all nominated. The People's Choice Awards are part of the HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Horse Racing Excellence Awards. Fans will have the opportunity to vote for their pick at www.hhracingawards.com/vote.

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Ghaiyyath Crowned Longines World’s Best Racehorse

Godolphin's Ghaiyyath (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}) was officially named Longines World's Best Racehorse on Tuesday having been assessed to have posted the top two performances of 2020. His high mark of 130 was gained in the G1 Juddmonte International S. at York, which was also named Longines World's Best Horserace for the first time. The former Charlie Appleby trainee also recorded a mark of 127 in the G1 Hurworth Bloodstock Coronation Cup which, in a pandemic-disrupted season, was moved from Epsom to Newmarket.

Bred by the Weld family's Springbank Way Stud from the 2006 Irish 1000 Guineas winner Nightime (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Ghaiyyath won his first four starts in 2020, starting out with a facile victory in the G3 Dubai Millennium S. at Meydan in track record time. Returning to the UK, the 5-year-old beat the previous season's Derby winner Athony Van Dyck (Ire) in the Coronation Cup before claiming an even bigger scalp with his victory over Enable (GB) in the G1 Coral-Eclipse. His championship performance came with his three-length strike in the International, in which fellow Group 1 winners Magical (Ire), Lord North (Ire) and Kameko filled the minor places. Ghaiyyath has now retired to his owner Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum's Kildangan Stud in Ireland.

“In some ways he was the perfect racehorse; he had so many positive attributes,” said Joe Osborne, managing director of Godolphin Ireland. “He campaigned internationally and he was at that age to have reached his peak form. He was the kind of brand ambassador that Godolphin has been famous for down the years. His high cruising speed and his ability to find acceleration at the end of his races was what really set him apart.”

Charlie Appleby added, “It was a great privilege to be involved with a horse like Ghaiyyath. Right from the start he was one of the horses we were very find of and to train a horse like this for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed and for Godolphin was a great honour.

“The most pleasing victory in 2020 was the Juddmonte International. I felt it just confirmed what we had seen in the Eclipse when he beat Enable.”

The ongoing Covid-19 restrictions meant that for the first time the awards, organised for the eighth year in tandem by Longines and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), were presented in an online ceremony hosted by Francesca Cumani as Newmarket's National Horseracing Museum instead of in London.

A stellar season for the Bob Baffert-trained Authentic (Into Mischief) saw him win the GI Kentucky Derby and GI Haskell S. but it was his 2 1/4-length victory in the Breeders' Cup Classic which was judged to be his standout performance of the year on 126,. This placed him second overall in the rankings and made him the world's best 3-year-old and highest-rated dirt horse.

Authentic is now at stud at Spendthrift Farm, which comprised one part of his large syndicate of owners during his racing days. The group included Myracehorse Stable, with members in every state in America and from more than 20 countries around the world.

“I used to love looking forward to making that trip to London even though it was always freezing,” said Baffert via video link from his home in California. The trainer was also responsible for Triple Crown and Breeders' Cup Classic winner American Pharoah, who was the Longines World's Best Racehorse of 2015, as well as Arrogate, the world's top-rated horse of 2016 and 2017.

He continued, “Authentic was just getting better and better and better. He had a lot of speed and he could carry a mile and a quarter effortlessly. It takes a really good horse to win the Derby and the Breeders' Cup Classic. Is it's just an honour to be involved in this. Racing is all about bragging rights so to have a horse as good as this is what it's all about.”

There was a seven-way tie for third between horses trained in Britain, France, America and Australia on a ranking of 125. Addeybb (Ire) (Pivotal {GB}) won three Group 1 races in two different hemispheres for the William Haggas stable in 2020 but it was his season-closing victory in the QIPCO British Champion S. for which he gained top marks, alongside fellow Newmarket resident Palace Pier (GB) (Kingman {GB}). The latter was the top-rated European 3-year-old, gaining his mark for his run in the G1 Prix du Haras Fresnay-le-Buffard Jacques le Marois at Deauville. Juddmonte's Kingman is also the sire of Persian King (Ire), ranked equal to Palace Pier on 125 after winning the G1 Prix du Moulin de Longchamp, while Palace Pier's stablemate Stradivarius (Ire) (Sea The Stars {Ire}) is again the top stayer in the world having run to 125 when winning the G1 Gold Cup for the third time at Royal Ascot.

The Barclay Tagg-trained Tiz The Law (Constitution) was also awarded 125 for his GI Runhappy Travers S. victory, and  that mark was also achieved by Australian sprinters Bivouac (Aus) (Exceed And Excel {Aus}) and Classique Legend (Aus) (Not A Single Doubt {Aus}) in the G1 Darley Sprint Classic and The TAB Everest respectively. 

Japan's recently retired Horse of the Year Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), trained by Sakae Kunieda, was judged to have run to a mark of 124 on two occasions, when winning the GI Victoria Mile and GI Longines Japan Cup for the second time. That same mark was awarded to her compatriot, the Triple Crown winner Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), whose first taste of defeat came when finishing runner-up to Almond Eye in the Japan Cup.

Also in equal-tenth place on 124 was Hong Kong star Golden Sixty (Aus) (Medaglia d'Oro), now the winner of 15 of his 16 races and gaining his top mark in the G1 Longines Hong Kong Mile. The impressive victory of Mohaather (GB) (Showcasing {GB}) in the G1 Qatar Sussex S. and of Nature Strip (Aus) (Nicconi {Aus}) in the G1 TJ Smith S. also gained marks of 124.

The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Sottsass (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) headed a quintet in joint-15th place on 123.  They included Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum's crack sprinter Battaash (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), G1 Prince of Wales's S.winner Lord North (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), and the Japanese duo of GI Tenno Sho runner-up Fierement (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Glory Vase (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}).

Breeders' Cup Classic runner-up Improbable (City Zip) was another to reach 123, a mark he gained twice, in the GI Whitney S. and GI Awesome Again S.

The best performance of 2020 for Juddmonte superstar Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) was her record third victory in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S, for which she was awarded a mark of 122. This same rating was given to Love (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) for her victories in the Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks, as well as 2000 Guineas winner Kameko (Kitten's Joy) for his G2 Shadwell Joel S. success, and to the previous season's European champion 2-year-old Pinatubo (Ire) (Shamardal). Also on 122 were Maximum Security (New Year's Day), Anthony Van Dyck (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Beauty Generation (NZ) (Road To Rock {Aus}), Gamine (Into Mischief), In Swoop (Ire) (Adlerflug {Ger}), Magical (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), Tarnawa (Ire) (Shamardal), Swiss Skydiver (Daredevil) and Tom's d'Etat (Smart Strike).

Of the 56 horses in the world with a rating of 120 or more in 2020, 14 were trained in Britain, 11 in America, 10 in Ireland, and seven in Japan, while France, Australia and Hong Kong accounted for four apiece, and two were trained in South Africa.

Frankel (GB) (Galileo {Ire}), who was the Longines World's Best Racehorse of 2011 and 2012, achieved the highest-ever rating of 140.

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Almond Eye Japan’s HOTY For Second Time In Three Years

Silk Racing Co. Ltd.’s Almond Eye (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}), who was retired from racing following a second victory in the G1 Japan Cup last November, was named the recipient of the Horse of the Year award for the second time in the last three years Wednesday. She easily outpointed Triple Crown winners and unanimous champions Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) and Daring Tact (Jpn) (Epiphaneia {Jpn}), while champion sprinter/miler elect Gran Alegria (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) garnered a single vote for HOTY. Almond Eye, who was also the champion of her generation at three in 2018, was also named champion older filly or mare.

Programmed for a defence of her title in the G1 Dubai Turf last March, Almond Eye returned to Japan following the cancellation of the multi-million dollar race meeting in late March and instead made her 5-year-old debut in the G1 Victoria Mile, where–facing her own sex for the first time since completing the Fillies Triple Crown in the 2018 G1 Shuka Sho–she proved an easy winner, stopping the timer in 1:30.6. Runner-up to Gran Alegria in the G1 Yasuda Kinen in June, Almond Eye defeated champion older male Fierement (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) to win the G1 Tenno Sho (Autumn) for the second year in a row and handed Contrail his first career defeat when concluding her career victoriously in the Nov. 29 Japan Cup.

 

WATCH: Almond Eye wins the 2020 Japan Cup en route to HOTY honours

 

Gran Alegria put together a Horse of the Year-worthy campaign herself, defeating males in the G1 Sprinters’ S. (1200m) in October, the strength of which was amplified when that race’s runner-up Danon Smash (Jpn) (Lord Kanaloa {Jpn}) returned to land the G1 Longines Hong Kong Sprint. Gran Alegria closed a three-for-four season in the G1 Mile Championship, besting the classy Indy Champ (Jpn) (Stay Gold {Jpn}) with an irresistible late flourish. All but one of the 283 votes were cast for Gran Alegria (one was cast for Almond Eye).

Contrail was untouchable versus his age group, completing the Triple Crown with a hard-fought success in the G1 Kikuka Sho before finding only Almond Eye too strong in the Japan Cup. Fierement, whose retirement was announced Wednesday, made three trips to the post in 2020, winning the G1 Tenno Sho (Spring) over 3000 metres in May and was last seen finishing a close third to ‘Special Award’ winner Chrono Genesis (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}) in the G1 Arima Kinen. Deep Impact’s three champions for 2020 take his total to 21 in his illustrious career.

Daring Tact’s campaign very much mirrored that of Contrail, as she was untouchable in the Filly Triple Crown series before finishing third in the Japan Cup.

Danon the Kid (Jpn) (Just a Way {Jpn}) and the white filly Sodashi (Jpn) (Kurofune) locked up the 2-year-old male and female divisions, respectively, with victories in the G1 Asahi Hai Futurity S. and G1 Hanshin Juvenile Fillies, while Chuwa Wizard (Jpn) (King Kamehameha {Jpn}) was given the nod as the country’s top dirt horse following his win in the G1 Champions Cup last month.

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Posthumous Championship for Deep Impact

For the first year since 2008 there will be no Deep Impact (Jpn) foals born this season, but the late Shadai resident was still Japan’s champion sire in 2020, a title he has held without pause since 2012. That was the year his eldest runners were four; he had also been champion first-season sire in 2010.

He had already been responsible for former Horse of the Year Gentildonna (Jpn) but Deep Impact’s crowning glory among his many talented colts has come posthumously, with his son Contrail (Jpn) having become his sixth Derby winner–and third in a row–on the middle leg of taking the 2020 Triple Crown. Bred by Koji Maeda’s North Hills Farm, Contrail has been beaten just once in his eight starts when finishing second at the end of November in the Japan Cup to the country’s retiring champion Almond Eye (Jpn). There’s no shame in being defeated by the Horse of the Year and Contrail ended 2020 with a rating of 122, just two behind Almond Eye.

The 5-year-old Almond Eye has a huge following even beyond Japan and she is very much the star performer for her sire Lord Kanaloa (Jpn), who was the leading active sire of 2020. The 13-year-old sired Group 1 winners in three different countries in 2020, with Almond Eye being backed up by Tagaloa (Aus), winner of the G1 Blue Diamond S. in Australia, while Danon Smash (Jpn) took the G1 Hong Kong Sprint.

Like Deep Impact, Lord Kanaloa has been graced with huge books ever since his retirement to stud. From 2014, when he covered 254 mares, he climbed to a high of 307 in 2018.

While Deep Impact’s dominant father Sunday Silence still features as either sire or grandsire of six of the top 10 stallions in Japan in 2020, Kingmambo’s influence remains strong. That comes essentially through his late son King Kamehameha (Jpn), who was champion sire in the two years before Deep Impact’s long reign started and was fifth this time around, and through King Kamehameha’s sons Lord Kanaloa and Rulership (Jpn).

Sunday Silence’s 20-year-old son Heart’s Cry (Jpn) was runner-up in 2019 and slipped a place to third in 2020. His leading performer, Salios (Jpn), chased home Contrail to be second in both the Japanese Derby and 2000 Guineas and won the G2 Mainichi Okan.

The 2011 Triple Crown winner Orfevre (Jpn) was next in the table and among his group stakes winners in 2020 was the durable mare Lucky Lilac (Jpn), who has won at the highest level as a 2-year-old and at four and five. In 2020, she recorded her second win the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup as well as victory in the G1 Osaka Hai, beating subsequent G1 Arima Kinen winner Chrono Genesis (Jpn) (Bago {Fr}).

The aforementioned Rulership (Jpn) is another among the Japanese ranks to have previously been represented by a top-flight international performer with his son Mer De Glace (Jpn) having won the 2019 Caulfield Cup. The 14-year-old’s sixth place finish in the sires’ championship helped boost the sire-of-sires claim of King Kamehameha, who, like Deep Impact, died in the summer of 2019.

Of note among the younger sires bidding to establish themselves, last year’s freshman champion Kizuna (Jpn), a son of Deep Impact, was 12th overall. He improved on his previous season’s tally of 27 2-year-old winners to make it 31 this time around. His second crop of foals, though still large at 138, was down from 184 in his debut season. He is yet to sire a Group 1 winner but had two Group 2 and two Group 3 winners last year.

His contemporary in the stallion ranks, Epiphaneia (Jpn), by Symboli Kris S, may have notched 50 fewer winners than Kizuna but he has the distinction of having a first-crop winner of the Fillies’ Triple Crown, Daring Tact (Jpn), who was also third behind Almond Eye and Contrail in an epic running of the Japan Cup.

Japan’s first-season sires’ list was headed by King Kamehameha’s Japanese Derby and Guineas-winning son Duramente (Jpn), who covered almost 300 mares in each of his first two seasons at Shadai Stallion Station and recorded 35 winners from his first group of runners. Close behind him on 32 was the good-looking Maurice (Jpn), a son of Screen Hero (Jpn) who won six Group 1 races in Japan and Hong Kong and has also shuttled to Arrowfield Stud in Australia.

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