Native Trail a clear champion - but gap to Coroebus isn't insurmountable

One two-year-old stood out above all others on the figures last season, with Godolphin's unbeaten champion Native Trail 5lb clear with an RPR of 122, a mark beaten by only Pinatubo and Too Darn Hot in the last five years.

As is so often the case, Newmarket's Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes was won by the season's leading juvenile, though Native Trail achieved a higher RPR in the National Stakes at the Curragh. On both occasions he took time to get organised before blasting past the likes of Point Lonsdale (113) and Dubawi Legend (115), finding plenty off the bridle.

However, Coroebus is a fascinating, exhilarating foil to his less push-button stablemate. He has a huge cruising speed and can make high-class rivals look average as he sweeps by on the bridle. He may not find as much under pressure as Native Trail, but that is what makes a potential clash back on the Rowley Mile in May so tantalising.