A night of high impact, fleeting monstrousness and long-lasting achievement

When he won on the sands of Cagnes-sur-Mer in January and followed up in the not yet world-renowned Prix Jacques Dogny at Bordeaux Le Bouscat in April, Ace Impact made ripples rather than waves, but by the time racing's great and good gathered this week to celebrate the Cartier Horses of the Year, he had created rather more of an impression.

No matter that he had been on our radar for barely ten months and on the racecourse six times in all, with no prospect of a seventh, his unbeaten career had earned him every accolade under the sun, including one that might be taken the wrong way.

"He is a monster," said Pauline Chehboub of part-owners Gousserie Racing, as we lapped up the final analysis of one of the greats. "Monster," confirmed jockey Cristian Demuro, as the plaudits flew in language that was one part English, one part French and the rest universal. "One in a million," if anything seemed to undersell the spectacular nature of Ace Impact's successes. "Horse of a lifetime," was more like it, and we concurred that it had been a "privilege to have him in our lives".

Tahiyra was the top three-year-old filly, having racked up three Group 1 wins, but she picked the wrong year to be contending for the top honour. Likewise Auguste Rodin, whose two Derbys, an Irish Champion Stakes and a Breeders' Cup Turf proved inadequate in the face of such Gallic gusto.

Trainer Jean-Claude Rouget revelled in the appreciation of his Prix du Jockey-Club hero and made a good fist of not seeming too disappointed that the horse who we were advised was "the perfect athlete" will be aiming to prove his potency in a different sphere in 2024.

It's the persistently underwhelming counterpoint to the glamour and glory of the Cartiers, the fact that we're often celebrating that which has already been snatched from our grasp, but by way of compensation we got to marvel at the longevity of Jeff Smith, the owner and breeder for whom the term might have been invented.

Smith took the Daily Telegraph Award of Merit for a lifetime of achievement whose beginnings are only distantly visible in racing's mists, yet he's still in there pitching, still popular in a genuine standing ovation kind of way and still enjoying top-class winners in a philosophical manner that almost makes it seem as though the accompanying losers don't really happen.

The video tributes went all the way back to Ray Cochrane and Chief Singer, and although they weren't in black and white and we could still pick out the famous purple and pale blue silks, they were grainy enough to make the point. Here is a man who started out in racing a long time ago and still does it because he still loves it, understands it and is pretty good at it as well.

Actually, so he told us, it would be more accurate to say "this is an award for being outrageously lucky", from the day 47 years ago when he bought his first horse, defying all logic and, more dangerously, 'her indoors'.

"My wife was pregnant and I didn't have any money," he recalled. "I thought it was a good idea, although I'm not sure that she agreed. This was all before affordability checks, of course."

Indeed. It was a different world when Smith embarked on his racing voyage, but while he apologised for being "the wrong owner" to have turned Persian Punch into a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner for his old sparring partner David Elsworth, and while admitting that he was "absolutely bonkers", he was happy to accept that he had been "blessed with good horses and good people and it's been a wonderful journey".

Jeff Smith acknowledges the applause as he receives the Cartier and Daily Telegraph Award of Merit Credit: Dan Abraham

From long service back to brief flashes of brilliance, owner Martin Hughes expressed the disbelief of many an owner whose ship comes in. Shaquille had exhibited plenty of what we often kindly call 'temperament' through his career, but this Cartier Sprinter had also, and more importantly, shown the blistering speed and flamboyance that had Hughes struggling with his disbelief. "These things don't happen this way," he reasoned. "The thing is, you can't make it up."

Even at the final farewell, he was so bewildered by it all that he admitted to having bet co-trainer Steve Brown £100 that Shaquille wouldn't win a Cartier. He ended up "gobsmacked" and £100 poorer, but it was a small price to pay for the fun he had in 2023.

Trueshan, meanwhile, had already been here before and won, as the best stayer of 2021, but the delight of his owners in their pride and joy landing a second gong with their now seven-year-old was heartwarming evidence of both the prestige of the evening and the undying enthusiasm of the sport's participants.

It was all "deeply unexpected", said David Hill, who added that he and his colleagues had bought Trueshan to be a Flat horse first and a jumps horse second, and were "looking forward to his second career". Now that really would be long and glorious, although trainer Alan King was unavailable for comment.

Beaming owners of Trueshan (from left, Ian Dodds-Smith, Alan Marsh and David Hill) after the seven-year-old was named Cartier Stayer for the second time in three yearsCredit: Dan Abraham

Cartier two-year-old colt City Of Troy and two-year-old filly Opera Singer will quite possibly be back at the Dorchester next November for the 34th running of these awards, having confirmed the scintillating form of their sire, Justify, with a pair of spectacular seasons, but it's unlikely we'll ever see either pick up the older horse trophy accepted by racing manager Angus Gold on behalf of Shadwell for Mostahdaf, winner of the Prince of Wales's and Juddmonte International at the ripe old age of five.

He'd started out in February in Saudi Arabia, recalled Gold, and by way of tribute to the Gosden team, "was still roaring like a bull last week in California". Along the way, he'd scored at York under Frankie Dettori, described by our man, rather less reverently, as "that semi-retired old Italian who's in a jungle in Australia somewhere". Luckily our meal was fillet of beef and good claret, rather than kangaroo's eyeballs and wombat's effluent.

For such small mercies, and a season of monstrous achievement, we gave thanks.

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