Dubai: Minding, a five-time Group 1 winner this year was adjudged Horse of the Year at the 26th annual Cartier Racing Awards, European horseracing’s equivalent of the Oscars.

The three-year-old Galileo filly, trained by Aidan O’Brien and ridden by Ryan Moore, won the English 1,000 Guineas, Epsom Oaks, Pretty Polly Stakes, Nassau Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

Twelve months ago Minding was crowned Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly. Her rivals in the Horse Of The Year category were Almanzor, Found, Shaikh Mohammad Obaid Al Maktoum’s Postponed and recent Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Highland Reel. Both Found and Highland Reel are stable companions of Minding.

Minding also took the honours in the Three-Year-Old Filly category, ahead of Alice Springs, Quiet Reflection and La Cressonniere.

Found, who led home a remarkable 1-2-3 for O’Brien in Europe’s richest race, last month’s G1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, was named Cartier Older Horse. The other contenders for Cartier Older Horse Award were Postponed, Limato and Highland Reel.

Order Of St George, winner of the Group 1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, landed the Cartier Stayer Award ahead of Quest For More, Vazirabad and Sheikzayedroad.

The fifth award to go to an Brien-trained horse was the Two-Year-Old Colt award, won by Churchill. The Galileo colt finished a superb campaign with Group One victories in two of Europe’s best juvenile contests — the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes and the Dubai Dewhurst Stakes.

Alamanzor took the Three-Year-Old Colt Award while Quiet Reflection became the first three-year-old filly to win the Cartier Sprinter Award.

Lady Aurelia was the other history-maker, as she became the first horse trained in the USA to win a Cartier Racing Award. Following a breathtaking all-the-way win in the G2 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot and victory in the G1 Darley Prix Morny at Deauville, she captured the Two-Year-Old Filly Award ahead of Rhododendron, Brave Anna and Roly Poly.

Harry Herbert, Cartier’s racing consultant, commented: “I would like to extend my congratulations to the Coolmore team on the phenomenal achievement of gaining a record five awards at the 26th annual Cartier Racing Awards. Minding and Found are brilliant fillies, while Order Of St George is a stayer out of the top drawer and Churchill’s performances bode well for 2017.

“Aidan O’Brien’s achievements, with Minding, Found, Order of St George and Churchill plus many others in 2016 and during the last 25 years, speak for themselves and this outstanding trainer richly deserves the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit.

“It is thrilling to see the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly Award go to the American-trained Lady Aurelia, emphasising how international racing has become. The three-year-old filly Quiet Reflection is a worthy winner of the Cartier Sprint Award, while Almanzor’s dominance at 10 furlongs is testament to superb handling.”

The Cartier Racing Awards were established in 1991 to reward excellence in European horse racing.