Nominations revealed for the 2026 Cartier Racing Awards

Nominations are announced today for the 36th Cartier Racing Awards, which will be presented at the Dorchester Hotel in London on the evening of Wednesday, November 18.

Four contenders for the Cartier Horse Of The Year include unbeaten Betfred 2000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes and Visit Qatar Sussex Stakes winner Bow Echo and Daryz, who became the first colt since 1978 to win back-to-back renewals of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Ombudsman, who captured the Prince Of Wales’s Stakes for a second time and defeated the 2025 Cartier Horse of the Year Calandagan in the Qatar Racing Champion Stakes, is also nominated for the premier equine award alongside outstanding juvenile filly Sun Goddess.

In addition to the Cartier Horse Of The Year award, there are seven other equine categories – the Cartier Older Horse, the Cartier Sprinter, the Cartier Stayer, the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt, the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly, the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt and the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly.

The non-equine award presented during the ceremony is the Cartier/The Daily Telegraph Award of Merit, which goes to the person or persons who, in the opinion of the 15-strong Cartier jury, has done the most for European racing and/or breeding either over their lifetime or within the past 12 months.

The nominations for the 2026 Cartier Racing Awards are:

Cartier Horse of the Year

Bow Echo

Daryz

Ombudsman

Sun Goddess

Cartier Older Horse

Blue Bolt

Daryz

Notable Speech

Ombudsman

Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt

Benvenuto Cellini

Bow Echo

Constitution River

Talk Of New York

Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly

Diamond Necklace

Precise

Thundering On

True Love

Cartier Sprinter

Almeraq

Bacio

Comanche Brave

Venetian Sun

Cartier Stayer

Caballo de Mar

Highwayman

Scandinavia

Trawlerman

Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt

Darkness Falls

Desert Castle

Folsom Blues

Haffner

Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly

Amusingly

Libertango

Musical Times

Sun Goddess 

About the Cartier Racing Awards

The Cartier Racing Awards were established in 1991 to reward excellence in horseracing. There are eight equine awards – the Cartier Horse Of The Year, the Cartier Older Horse, the Cartier Sprinter, the Cartier Stayer, the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt, the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly, the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt and the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly. 

European horseracing's top awards are delivered through a tried and tested combination of points earned by horses in Pattern races (30%), combined at the end of the season with the opinions of a panel of racing journalists/handicappers (35%) and votes from members of the public (35%).

In addition to the equine awards, the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit goes to the person or persons who, in the opinion of the 15-strong Cartier Jury, has/have done the most for European racing and/or breeding either over their lifetime or within the past 12 months.

The 36th Cartier Racing Awards will be presented at the Dorchester Hotel in London on the evening of Wednesday, November 18.

About Cartier

A reference in the world of luxury, Cartier – a name synonymous with open-mindedness and curiosity – stands out through its creations, revealing beauty wherever it may lie. The Maison expresses itself across multiple domains: from jewellery and high jewellery to watchmaking, fragrances, leather goods and accessories. Cartier’s creations symbolise the convergence of exceptional craftsmanship and a timeless signature. Today, Cartier is part of Richemont, and it shines worldwide through its network of boutiques, authorised retail partners, and online sites.