Native Trail and Inspiral shoot to the top of the Cartier two-year-old standings

Native Trail and Inspiral rose to the top of the two-year-old rankings for the Cartier Racing Awards after landing Group 1s last weekend.

Native Trail, who was third in the juvenile colt category after his victory in the National Stakes, moved to joint-top after extending his unbeaten record to four in the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket.

The Godolphin colt sits alongside Middle Park winner Perfect Power on 80 points and the pair are comfortably clear of the Ralph Beckett-trained Angel Bleu, winner of the Group 1 Prix Jean-Luc Lagardere.

Inspiral, who also remains unbeaten following success in the Fillies' Mile under Frankie Dettori on Friday, heads the two-year-old juvenile filly division after an impressive performance at Newmarket. She has 48 points, placing her ahead of Sandrine and Agartha on 40 points.

The rankings make up 30 per cent of the result of the awards, with contributions from journalists and handicappers, and votes from Racing Post and Daily Telegraph readers also deciding the result.

Inspiral: Fillies' Mile winner heads the two-year-old filly standings with 48 pointsCredit: Mark Cranham (racingpost.com/photos)

Saturday's Qipco British Champions Day will play a pivotal role in determining the final rankings, with major players set to take the stage at Ascot in the conclusion to the British Flat season.

With St Mark's Basilica (160) retired, Palace Pier and Mother Earth are poised to overtake him in the Horse of the Year rankings if either of them can strike in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes.

Mother Earth's lead in the three-year-old filly standings could be threatened by Snowfall (136), who holds entries in the Qipco Champion Stakes and the British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes.

If connections target the Champion Stakes, the dual-Oaks heroine will line up against Mishriff (108) and Adayar (100), who sit seventh and eighth in the Horse Of The Year standings, while leading Stayer Trueshan (68) will bid to land back-to-back Long Distance Cups.

The lead of recently retired Starman (64) in the sprint category will be challenged in the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes. Dragon Symbol, who is third behind A Case Of You, could run in the race.

Cartier Horse of the Year

St Mark's Basilica 160 points
Poetic Flare 156
Hurricane Lane 152
Mother Earth 144
Palace Pier 144
Snowfall 136
Mishriff 108
Adayar 100
Alcohol Free 96
Torquator Tasso 96

Cartier Older Horse

Palace Pier 144
Mishriff 108
Torquator Tasso 96
Broome 88
Love 80
Skalleti 80

Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt

St Mark's Basilica 160
Poetic Flare 156
Hurricane Lane 152
Adayar 100
A Case Of You 58

Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly

Mother Earth 144
Snowfall 136
Alcohol Free 96
Saffron Beach 68
Joan Of Arc 64
Santa Barbara 64

Cartier Sprinter

Starman 64
A Case Of You 58
Dragon Symbol 56
Emaraaty Ana 52
Oxted 48

Cartier Stayer

Trueshan 68
Subjectivist 60
Stradivarius 56
Hurricane Lane 48
Skazino 48

Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt

Native Trail 80
Perfect Power 80
Angel Bleu 48
Ebro River 40
Point Lonsdale 40

Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly

Inspiral 48
Agartha 40
Sandrine 40
Zellie 40
Discoveries 36

Read more:

Three-time Grand National-winning owner Trevor Hemmings dies at the age of 86

'He could be one to land a good handicap' – last week's horses for your tracker

Champions Day: big guns on course for Ascot but Poetic Flare out of QEII

The Front Runner is our latest email newsletter available exclusively to Members' Club Ultimate subscribers. Chris Cook, a three-time Racing Reporter of the Year award winner, provides his take on the day's biggest stories and tips for the upcoming racing every morning from Monday to Friday