All to play for in Cartier rankings as Gosden heavyweights target Kentucky gold

This weekend’s Breeders’ Cup meeting at Churchill Downs could have a crucial bearing on the destination of the 2018 Cartier Racing Awards with Roaring Lion and reigning Cartier Horse Of The Year Enable still in the mix for prestigious prizes.

Roaring Lion (222 points) holds a clear lead in both the horse of the year and the three-year-old colt categories, and victory in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday would cement his lead.

On his first run on dirt, the son of Kitten’s Joy will bid to go out on a high for connections after a season headlined by four Group 1 wins, including the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot this month.

Roaring Lion's trainer John Gosden is also represented at Churchill Downs by the remarkable Enable (56), who is aiming to become the first horse to follow up victory in the Group 1 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, a race she also won in 2017, with success in the Grade 1 Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf.

Despite missing the majority of the season through injury, and trailing her stablemate in the standings, Khalid Abdullah’s filly could still challenge for the horse of the year award. Victory on Saturday could see her take both that award as well as the older horse award.

Points for the Cartier Racing Awards are earned through a combination of performances in Pattern races (30 percent), opinions of a panel of racing journalists and handicappers (35 percent) as well as votes from readers of the Racing Post, the Daily Telegraph and viewers of ITV Racing (35 percent).

Voting opened on October 24 via www.cartierracingawards.co.uk and closes at noon, UK time, on November 6 following the running of the Melbourne Cup.

Cartier Horse Of The Year

Roaring Lion222

Alpha Centauri160

Laurens152

Poet's Word140

Cracksman136

Stradivarius128

Recoletos104

Saxon Warrior104

Benbatl102

Wild Illusion 96

Sea Of Class 88

Crystal Ocean 84

Kew Gardens 84

Enable 56

Cartier Older Horse

Poet's Word140

Cracksman136

Recoletos104

Benbatl102

Crystal Ocean 84

Coronet 76

Lightning Spear 76

Waldgeist 72

Thunder Snow 66

Best Solution 64

Urban Fox 64

Enable 56

Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt

Roaring Lion222

Saxon Warrior104

Kew Gardens 84

Sands Of Mali 72

Masar 68

Flag Of Honour 58

Study Of Man 56

Expert Eye 52

Latrobe 52

Mendelssohn 31

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