|
|
Cartier reflections from The Queen, Bolger and Strawbridge Her Majesty The Queen's filly Estimate provided one of the highpoints of the 2013 Flat season when winning the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot and her owner was delighted to personally accept the Cartier Stayer Award. Footage of The Queen receiving the Award at Buckingham Palace on Monday from Arnaud Bamberger, Cartier UK's executive chairman, and Harry Herbert, Cartier's racing consultant, was shown Tuesday evening to the 330 invited guests at the 2013 Cartier Racing Awards at London's Dorchester Hotel. The Queen looked thrilled to be receiving the Award and said, "Thank you very much indeed and it's very nice to accept the award on behalf of Estimate, who did all the work. Estimate is sitting in a field at Sandringham now having a rest and watching the deer and things like that. Perhaps she'll come back into training next year." The Cartier Award of Merit was presented to Jim Bolger, one of the outstanding trainers and breeders of recent years. Bolger wanted to congratulate one of his many successful proteges, A.P. McCoy, who was at the Awards Dinner having recently ridden his 4,000th winner as a jump jockey. "I must congratulate Anthony. I always call him Anthony because many years ago when he first came to the yard I heard somebody call him Tony after a few days and he said 'my name if Anthony.' So he remained that as long as he was with us. If that's what his mother wanted to call him then that's what we would call him," Bolger said, before reflecting on his career. "Harry (Herbert) referred to Shakespeare, I like to call him William Shakespeare. He had a few words about sleep as well. Those words can be consoling for the troubled racehorse trainer. "In these times there are lots of troubled racehorse trainers. The ones that are up there are worried about the young fellows coming through and nipping at their heels. As I tell Eddie Lynam, Ger Lyons and David Wachman and all those young fellows in Ireland, I spend the nights tossing and turning and worried about these fellows coming up and giving me a hard time. We have a good laugh about it from time to time. "The great Dermot Weld once asked me if I'd realized how few surprises you get in racing. I've been able to outline to him a few occasions when I've been surprised but none more so than tonight. "Anyway getting back to William Shakespeare. He said 'Sleep that knits up the ravelled sleave of care, balm of hurt mind, sore labour's bath.' I think he had the racehorse trainer in mind when he was talking about troubled minds and the labour's bath because if you don't work hard in this business it just doesn't work for you. "I don't want to eat into your sleeping time too long but first of all I'd like to thank all the people who made it possible for the 16-man panel to be so reckless to recommend me for an award of merit. I accept it. I'm as gracious as I am surprised to get it. Thank you very much. "We trainers don't need to be smart, we just need a little staying power. Hopefully, I have a little staying power and hopefully it will stay with me. Thanks to everybody who made it possible to be here. Especially my long-serving wife, Jackie. She happens to be the champion owner in Ireland and I'd like to be the first to congratulate her. And Kevin Manning my jockey and all of my staff past and present, including the ones who are here tonight. Thank you all for coming here and sorry for eating into your sleeping time." American-based owner George Strawbridge traveled to London specially to collect the Cartier Older Horse Award, won by his outstanding filly Moonlight Cloud. "Everybody in this room knows that it's the most competitive racing in the world here," he stated. "Moonlight Cloud has always been the underdog. I will never forget I got the picture after she won her first race at Deauville and thought what a small animal with such fragile legs and how could she possibly campaign on this continent. "And then Alec Head said to me after we watched her in the Moulin 'Look at her George, nobody would ever buy her at a yearling sales!' But also nobody would buy Treve at the yearling sale. So they must have missed all those boxes that the bloodstock agents are always ticking off! "Moonlight Cloud is a very kind, gentle affectionate horse. She could be hugged, patted and squeezed before she even competed. Yet when she did compete, she had the heart of a lion, laser concentration and the unbelievable brilliance of speed. "She is such a credit to Freddy Head. She was in love with him and Thierry Jarnet. She didn't love me because she didn't know me! But we were all in love with her so thank you all very much." Bet Horseracing Free Online at TwinSpires.com
 Send this article to a friend
|
|
