After the defeat, Enable was expected to retire but is currently in training and could yet add to her glittering career in 2020. John Gosden is no stranger to picking up the prestigious award, his horses have taken the top prize five times in the last six years, with Kingman winning in 2014, Golden Horn 2015 and Roaring Lion 2018 also taking the top honour.
The awards, in their 29th year, also saw Enable’s owner and jockey Frankie Dettori gain honours with Too Darn Hot in the Three-Year-Old Colt division, Star Catcher in the Three-Year-Old Filly category and Stradivarius in the Stayer prize.
The five awards won by Enable put her level with the record held by legendary Frankel, also owned by Prince Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte operation, in securing five wins at the awards.
Stradivarius won his Stayer award for the second time; the horse picked up a £1 million bonus for taking the Yorkshire Cup, Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, Goodwood Cup and Lonsdale Cup at York titles.
The most poignant moment of the awards was the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit for 2019 that was awarded to Pat Smullens. Forced to retire from the sport in May due to pancreatic cancer, Smullens has turned to fundraising to help others with the same condition. Coaxing Sir Anthony McCoy and Ruby Walsh back into the saddle, Smullens has raised over E2.5million being raised for Cancer Trials Ireland.
Cartier Horse of the Year award winners;
Horse of the year: Enable (trainer John Gosden, owner Khalid Abdullah) Older horse: Enable Stayer: Stradivarius (trainer John Gosden, owner Bjorn Nielsen) Three-year-old colt: Too Darn Hot (trainer Charlie Appleby, owner Godolphin) Three-year-old filly: Starcatcher (trainer John Gosden, owner Anthony Oppenheimer) Two-year-old colt: Pinatubo (trainer Charlie Appleby, owner Godolphin) Two-year-old filly: Quadrilateral (trainer Roger Charlton, owner Khalid Abdullah) Award of Merit: Pat Smullen
