Cartier Awards: Curragh trainer John Oxx, who enjoyed a tremendous Irish Flat season with 62 winners, enjoyed more honours when Azamour was named Older Horse of the Year for 2005 at the 15th annual Cartier Awards in London last night.
Owned by the Aga Khan, the son of Night Shift put up some tremendous performances to win the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot at York and the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Diamond Stakes at Newbury before running a brave race in defeat when and unlucky third in the Breeders' Cup Turf at Belmont Park.
The other nominees in the category were Alcazar, Alexander Goldrun, Starcraft and Westerner.
Hurricane Run, brilliant winner of the Budweiser Irish Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, was crowned Horse of the Year.
Other horses on the roll of honour were Divine Proportions, Westerner, Avonbridge, the Aidan O'Brien pair George Washington and Rumplestiltskin while 10-times champion Flat trainer Henry Cecil took the Daily Telegraph Award of Merit.
As well as clinching the main award at the event held in London's West End, Hurricane Run was named best three-year-old colt. The star of Montjeu's outstanding first crop, and trained in France by Andre Fabre, he defeated the cream of Europe's middle-distance performers in the Arc at Longchamp in October.
Hurricane Run was bought by present owners Michael Tabor and Coolmore shortly before winning the Irish Derby at the Curragh and is to remain in training as a four-year-old. He took the award from Azamour, Divine Proportions, Shamardal and Westerner.
Hurricane Run remains in training for 2006 and will be a formidable force in the world's best middle-distance races.
Divine Proportions, winner of the two-year-old fillies' prize 12 months ago, walked away with three-year-old filly honour this time.
The Niarchos family's class performer, trained in France by Pascal Bary, took the French 1,000 Guineas and Oaks in a total of five Group One wins before her career came to a premature end when she sustained a tendon injury in the Prix Jacques le Marois.
For the second season running, the Wildenstein family's Westerner collected the Stayer Award.
Highlight of the Elie Lellouche-trained six-year-old's season was victory in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot at York, while he put up a great performance when second to Hurricane Run in the Arc.
Victory in the Prix de l'Abbaye clinched the sprinting prize for the Roger Charlton-trained Avonbridge.
Ireland's champion trainer Aidan O'Brien won both Cartier Awards for two-year-olds categories. George Washington, a dual Group One winner at the Curragh, beat off competition from Amadeus Wolf, stablemate Horatio Nelson, Red Clubs and Sir Percy to be named Cartier two-year-old colt.
In the race for two-year-old filly, Group One Prix Marcel Boussac heroine Rumplestiltskin came out ahead of Donna Blini, Flashy Wings, Nannina and Silca's Sister.
Cecil was gifted the Award of Merit thanks to an illustrious training career that began in 1969.
The master of Warren Place has claimed 32 European Classics, including 23 in Britain, and saddled more than 3000 individual winners with 364 Group-race victories.
Cecil is also the most successful trainer at Royal Ascot, having won 70 races at the meeting.
