Fangirl, Imperatriz, Mr Brightside, Think About It, Without A Fight – who will be hailed Horse of the Year?

At least five superstars are vying for Horse of the Year honours in the closest battle in years – and The Championships could settle who is the nation’s best.

Fangirl (right), Mr Brightside (inset) and Imperatriz are among the contenders for Horse of the Year.

Fangirl’s stunning return in the Apollo Stakes was so emphatic some hailed her as the nation’s best racehorse.

Then soon after Fangirl’s brilliant win at Royal Randwick last Saturday, Imperatriz made a statement of her own for the number one ranking with her fourth Group 1 win of the season in the Lightning Stakes at Flemington.

The two outstanding mares made winning comebacks just a week after Mr Brightside staked his claim with his first-up win in the CF Orr Stakes.

He will be a long odds-on favourite to win a fourth major for 2023-24 in the Futurity Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday

But where does The Everest winner Think About It fit in, or Cups double hero Without A Fight, multiple Group 1 winner Alligator Blood, even one of the nation’s exciting three-year-olds?

There is continuing debate about racing’s most outstanding champion and possible Horse of the Year, unlike recent seasons when the likes of Winx, Verry Elleegant, Nature Strip and Anamoe were obvious choices.

Sydney’s The Championships at Royal Randwick in autumn is set to confirm the nation’s best racehorse and ultimately decide Horse of the Year honours with some high profile clashes.

This is just what The Championships were designed for – bringing the best racehorses together to compete in season-ending deciders.

WHAT A QUEEN!💗

Fangirl has returned in dominant style in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes under @mcacajamez for @cwallerracing. pic.twitter.com/lAR3bHMbpH

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) February 17, 2024

The two races at Royal Randwick during The Championships most likely to determine Horse of the Year are the Group 1 $3m TJ Smith Stakes (1200m) on April 6 and the Group 1 $5m Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) a week later.

Nominations for The Championships were announced over the weekend with the TJ Smith Stakes having 62 entries.

The race is shaping as a compelling sprint showdown with Imperatriz, Private Eye, I Wish I Win and crack colt Ozzmosis all being aimed at that race.

The Queen Elizabeth Stakes has 102 entries and will be one of the highlight races of the season with Fangirl, Mr Brightside, Pride Of Jenni and possibly Think About It set to clash in Sydney’s richest autumn carnival weight-for-age race against an array of international talent from England, Hong Kong and Japan.

Fangirl’s Apollo Stakes win has put her into the frame for Horse of the Year.

She won two Group 1 races in spring including her trouncing of Mr Brightside in the King Charles III Stakes and on the evidence of last Saturday’s effort, she might go to a new level this autumn.

Imperatriz just keeps finding a way to win.

Imperatriz stole the show at Flemington today winning the Black Caviar Lightning. pic.twitter.com/hmt6ZuVXnm

— Victoria Racing Club (@FlemingtonVRC) February 17, 2024

New Zealand’s champion sprinting mare has done all her racing in Australia this season, reeling off wins in the McEwen Stakes, Mori Stakes, Manikato Stakes and Champions Sprint last spring before resuming in the Lightning.

Mr Brightside has won four of his seven starts this season including Group 1 successes in the Memsie Stakes, Makybe Diva Stakes and Orr Stakes.

His three losses have all resulted in second placings at the top level in the King Charles III Stakes, Cox Plate and Championships Mile.

This trio are the obvious main contenders for Horse of the Year but given there is no dominant champion, the autumn carnival provides an opportunity for others to make their claim.

Think About It is good enough to make a late surge for the ultimate honour.

He won the Premiere Stakes and The Everest last spring but trainer Joe Pride is keen to stretch his stable superstar out in distance this autumn and is aiming the gelding at the Group 1 $4m Doncaster Mile (1600m) and possibly the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

There was a period in Australian racing when any horse good enough to win the Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double would almost certainly win Horse of the Year honours, like when Gurner’s Lane won the Cups double in 1982 to claim racing’s ultimate honour even though legendary champion Kingston Town dominated weight-for-age racing that spring including a third successive Cox Plate.

Class prevails in the Gr1 CF Orr Stakes as the @lindsayparkrace trained Mr Brightside (Bullbars) adds another Gr1 victory to his super impressive record.@NZTM_TWEET@KarakaChat@Lion_Tamer_Nzpic.twitter.com/OKwSXw1tUZ

— Black Type Racing (@BreedingRacing) February 10, 2024

Despite Without A Fight’s outstanding efforts to win the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup last spring, he is only an outside chance for the top honour as injury will rule him out for the rest of the season.

But could the Horse of the Year come from outside the sprinter and weight-for-age divisions?

The three-year-old generation is loaded with talent including the likes of Militarize (Golden Rose), Ozzmosis (Coolmore Stud Stakes), Tom Kitten (Spring Champion Stakes) and Riff Rocket (Victoria Derby) but there hasn’t be a dual Group 1 winner among this age group.

What if juvenile sensation Storm Boy races through the Sydney autumn undefeated and adds the Golden Slipper, ATC Sires and Champagne Stakes to his Magic Millions win?

Storm Boy is one of the most exciting two-year-olds to emerge in many years but he would need to clean sweep the Sydney juvenile trip crown to have any chance to win the title.

The only two-year-old to win Horse of the Year was Bounding Away (1985-86) when she won the Blue Diamond, Golden Slipper and Champagne Stakes.

Originally published as Fangirl, Imperatriz, Mr Brightside, Think About It, Without A Fight – who will be hailed Horse of the Year?