It appears French horses are doing it all over the world to the Aussies.

Hot on the tail of Dunaden winning our greatest race the Melbourne Cup and Americain rubbing it in by winning the Zipping Classic – our dual Cox Plate winner So You Think has come up empty handed at the Cartier British horse racing awards thanks to another Gallic galloper.

The Corine Barande-Barbe trained galloper Cirrus Des Aigles won the Cartier champion older Horse Of The Year in England today despite So You Think’s triple Group 1 winning season.

So You Think won the Irish Champion Stakes 2000m at Leopardstown, the Coral-Eclipse (2000m) at Sandown and the Tattersalls Gold Cup (2100m) at The Curragh.

Cirrus Des Aigles won just one Group 1 for the season and obviously it was the one that counted when defeating So You Think by 3/4l in the Champion Stakes 2000m at Ascot.

Little argument with the top award the 2011 Cartier Horse of the Year being Frankel.

Frankel also added three-year-old Colt of the Year award.

Both awards were a formality following a magnificent campaign in which he stretched his unbeaten run to nine with wins in the 2,000 Guineas, St James’s Palace Stakes, Sussex Stakes and Queen Elizabeth II Stakes. 

Neither owner-breeder Khalid Abdullah nor trainer Sir Henry Cecil had previously been associated with the winner of the principal award.

The Christophe Ferland-trained Dabirsim was crowned top two-year-old after an unbeaten five-race season including a great win in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.

The son of Hat-Trick produced a memorable finishing burst from last to first to win over 1400m.

The David Simcock-trained Dream Ahead was named top sprinter following wins in the July Cup, Sprint Cup and Prix de la Foret.

Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Danedream gave Germany a first time British award winning the three-year-old filly category.