Alpha Centauri tops Horse of the Year standings after Falmouth romp

Alpha Centauri leads the race to be named Cartier Horse Of The Year following her emphatic four-and-a-half-length victory in the Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket last week.

Watch Alpha Centauri win the Falmouth Stakes

It was a third consecutive Group 1 success for the Jessica Harrington-trained filly, who looks set to take on the colts for the first time in the Prix Jacques le Marois at Deauville next month.

Cartier Horse Of The Year
Alpha Centauri 96
Cracksman 88
Laurens 88
Saxon Warrior 80
Roaring Lion 78

Roaring Lion narrowed Saxon Warrior’s lead at the top of the Three-Year-Old Colt standings when beating his rival by a neck in the Coral-Eclipse at Sandown and Qatar Racing manager David Redvers has mapped out an ambitious campaign for the son of Kitten’s Joy.

“He’s come out of the race at Sandown fresh and well – he almost needs plenty of racing,” he said. “Our next target is the Juddmonte, followed by the Qipco Irish Champion Stakes, then there will be a decision on whether to try the Champion Stakes or go across the pond to the Breeder’s Cup.”

Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt
Saxon Warrior 80
Roaring Lion 78
Masar 68
Study Of Man 52
Kew Gardens 48

This year’s Coral-Eclipse lost some of its sparkle with the late defection of Derby hero Masar, who had Roaring Lion and Saxon Warrior in third and fourth when winning the premier Classic.

The Goldolphin colt will be sidelined for the rest of the 2018 season with a soft-tissue injury but hopes are high for next year and under the scoring system he may still not be out of contention for the three-year-old award.

Ascot Gold Cup hero Stradivarius continues to hold the advantage on the Stayer’s leaderboard and the John Gosden-trained four-year-old will take another step towards landing the Weatherbys Hamilton Million bonus if he wins the Qatar Goodwood Cup on Tuesday week.

Cartier Stayer
Stradivarius 64
Vazirabad 55
Marmelo 24
Torcedor 20
Flag Of Honour 16
Kew Gardens 16

The 28th Cartier Racing Awards, which were established in 1991 to reward excellence in racing, will be presented at the Dorchester Hotel, London, on November 13.

The awards are decided through a combination of points earned by horses in Pattern races, the opinions of a panel of racing journalists/handicappers and votes from readers of the Racing Post and Daily Telegraph plus ITV Racing viewers.

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Appleby looks to the future with Masar

Alpha Centauri shines in the Falmouth