Pinatubo enters Horse of the Year contention after Prix Jean Prat victory

Pinatubo entered the Cartier Horse of the Year reckoning following his first top-level success of the season in the Prix Jean Prat at Deauville on Sunday.

The Godolphin ace was crowned champion two-year-old at the awards last season and now heads the standings in the three-year-old colt division on 56 points, with Irish Derby hero Santiago next best with a score of 48.

The Horse of the Year standings are topped by the French-trained Way To Paris, who has earned 72 points from his wins in the Group 2 Grand Prix de Chantilly and Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud.

Way To Paris: early leader in the Cartier Horse of the Year standingsCredit: Racng Post/Scott Burton

He is just two points in front of Ghaiyyath, who has recorded wins in the Coronation Cup and Coral-Eclipse in 2020. Qipco 1,000 Guineas and Investec Oaks heroine Love and back-to-back Australian Group 1 winner Addeybb are next with 64 points.

Elsewhere, Oxted joined Golden Horde as leader of the sprinting category following his win in Saturday's Darley July Cup. The pair, both trained in Lambourn, have amassed 40 points but with the five-furlong specialist Battaash hot on their tails, just eight points behind.

Battaash is set to bid for a fourth consecutive win in the Group 2 King George Qatar Stakes at Goodwood.

But before Goodwood, Enable is out to establish her claims of becoming Cartier Horse of the Year for a third time when she lines up in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes on July 25. The winner of the award in 2017 and 2019, she finished second in the Eclipse on her seasonal comeback.

The Cartier awards celebrate the season's best Flat horses, with the prize decided by a combination of points scored for performances in Pattern races, the verdict from a panel of handicappers and journalists and votes from readers of the Racing Post and Daily Telegraph.

The Horse of the Year is the top prize of six and will be awarded in November, although the ceremony has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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