Calandagan Named Cartier Horse of the Year; Trawlerman Top Stayer

Calandagan was crowned Cartier Horse of the Year at the 35th Cartier Racing Awards, also taking the Older Horse prize.

Trained by Francis-Henri Graffard, the four-year-old was never out of the top two in five starts in 2025, securing three Group One victories including the King George and the QIPCO Champion Stakes at Ascot.

He finished ahead of QIPCO Champion Stakes runner-up Ombudsman—who claimed the Prince of Wales's Stakes and the Juddmonte International—and multiple Group One-winning three-year-olds Delacroix and Minnie Hauk. Calandagan is the fourth horse bred by the Aga Khan Studs to win Cartier Horse of the Year, following Daylami (1999), Dalakhani (2003) and Zarkava (2008), and is the first to receive the honour since the passing of His Highness Aga Khan IV in February.

Aidan O’Brien’s Delacroix and Minnie Hauk were named Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt and Three-Year-Old Filly respectively, with Minnie Hauk recording her third Oaks success of the season in Yorkshire. O’Brien-trained juveniles Precise (Two-Year-Old Filly) and Gstaad (Two-Year-Old Colt) also featured among the award winners.

Trawlerman, undefeated on the domestic circuit this year, collected the Top Stayer award after victories in the Gold Cup and Long Distance Cup. Asfoora was named Cartier Sprinter, becoming the third Australian-bred winner of that award after Starspangledbanner (2010) and Black Caviar (2012), following her triumphs in the Nunthorpe and the Prix de l’Abbaye.