Sovereign enters reckoning for Cartier honours with Irish Derby triumph

Sovereign’s 33-1 shock success in last Saturday’s Irish Derby at the Curragh has put him firmly into the mix for Cartier's Three-Year-Old Colt honours.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained colt, who is owned by a Coolmore partnership, emulated his sire Galileo, who won the Irish Derby before clinching the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt award in 2001.

Sovereign, who has 38 points, 26 behind leader Anthony Van Dyck, is also from the family of outstanding racemare Balanchine, recipient of the 1994 Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly award following her victory in that season’s Irish Derby.

Anthony Van Dyck (pink): Epsom Derby winnerCredit: Mark Cranham

Anthony Van Dyck, winner of the Derby at Epsom last month, had no answer to his stablemate at the Curragh, eventually being beaten six lengths into second.

Royal Ascot sprint sensation Blue Point, who has now been retired, heads the Horse of the Year standings with 106 points, ten clear of dual 1,000 Guineas heroine Hermosa.

The annual Cartier Awards are decided through three established strands.

Points are earned by horses in Pattern races (30 per cent of the total) and these are combined at the end of season with the opinions of a panel of racing journalists/handicappers (35 per cent) and votes from readers of Racing Post and The Daily Telegraph, plus ITV Racing viewers (35 per cent).

The 29th Cartier Racing Awards will be presented at a glittering ceremony before an invited audience of 300 in London on November 12.

Three-Year-Old Colt standings

Anthony Van Dyck 64
Persian King 56
Magna Grecia 48
Sovereign 38
Advertise 32
Circus Maximus 32
Phoenix Of Spain 32
Sottsass 32
Too Darn Hot 32

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