Starspangledbanner named Cartier Champion

Starspangledbanner, who is retiring to Coolmore in Ireland for 2011, was named Champion Sprinter of 2010 at the 20th annual Cartier Racing Awards in London on Tuesday night.

The Cartier Awards are billed as the Ultimate Accolade in World Racing and Starspangledbanner’s award was presented in front of a 350-strong audience at the Dorchester Hotel in London.

The son of Choisir was Champion Sprinter in Australia in 2009/2010 and enjoyed a brilliant season in Europe this year that included winning the G1 Golden Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot and G1 July Cup at Newmarket.

Starspangledbanner was described as “the fastest horse we have ever had” by his trainer, Aidan O’Brien.

It was a good night for Coolmore sires at the 2010 Cartier Awards with Galileo’s daughter Misty For Me (2f Galileo-Butterfly Cove, by Storm Cat) taking the Two-Year-Old Filly Award on the back of her wins in the G1 Prix Marcel Boussac and G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes.

Galileo’s son Frankel (2c Galileo-Kind, by Danehill) took the Two-Year-Old Colt Award after a brilliant season that culminated in a victory in the G1 Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket for trainer Henry Cecil.

“It’s a really special award for what we hope will become a really special horse,” said Teddy Grimthorpe, racing manager to Frankel’s owner-breeder, Prince Khalid Abdulla. “It’s no coincidence that Prince Khalid’s absolutely prized two-year-old was sent to an outstanding practitioner and named in honour of another outstanding practitioner (the late Bobby Frankel). We are lucky to have him.”

Meanwhile, Dr Ronan Lambe’s son of Giant’s Causeway, Rite Of Passage (6g Giant’s Causeway-Dahlia’s Krissy, by Kris S), picked up the Champion Stayer Award on the back of his victory in the G1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot.