FRENCH HORSE OF THE YEAR AWARDS
France’s annual Horse of the Year ceremony took place at Auteuil on Sunday with top honours going to Manduro and Mid Dancer. The election is organised by the Courses et Elevage quarterly racing and breeding publication in conjunction with France Galop, and prize winners are chosen according to votes made by the specialist racing press. The selection of André Fabre’s Champion Manduro came as no surprise and, although it is very rare for this distinction not to be awarded to the Arc de Triomphe winner, Manduro had already dominated Dylan Thomas at Ascot before injury prevented his participation in the Longchamp showpiece. Manduro’s owner Baron Georg von Ullman made the trip over from Germany to attend the ceremony and André Fabre was also present. Dylan Thomas was second in the older horse category behind Manduro and ahead of Jean de Roualle’s popular Gr.1 Prix de l’Opéra winner Satwa Queen.
Princess Zahra Aga Khan’s triple Gr.1 winner Darjina (ZAMINDAR) finished second in the overall standings and won her three-year-old filly category ahead of Gr.1 Prix de Diane winner West Wind and Gr.1 Prix Vermeille and EP Taylor Stakes heroine Mrs Lindsay. Champion Stakes hero Literato took third place overall and was elected top three-year-old colt from Gr.1 Prix du Jockey-Club and Prix Jean Prat winner Lawman, whose career was also curtailed by injury, and Grand Prix de Paris scorer Gr.1 Zambezi Sun. The best juvenile was judged to be the Alain de Royer Dupré-trained Zarkava (ZAMINDAR), who won the Gr.1 Prix Marcel Boussac for owner His Highness The Aga Khan on only her second outing. Natagora was second in the two-year-old category with Thewayyouare in third place.
Date:
04 March 2008