Two-Year-Olds enter calculations for the Cartier Racing Awards

Group One races for two-year-olds have commenced in Europe and points earned in Pattern races for the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt Award and the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly Award were issued for the first time on Wednesday.

Al Shaqab Racing's Shalaa (64) has a clear lead in the Cartier Two-Year-Old Colt division.

Trained by John Gosden, the son of Invincible Spirit won Group Two races at Newmarket and Goodwood before an excellent victory in the Group One Darley Prix Morny at Deauville on August 23.

His closest rival at this stage is Air Force Blue (40) who took the first European Group One of the season for two-year-olds, the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes, at the Curragh on August 9.

Consistent Besharah (36) tops the Cartier Two-Year-Old Filly category, with the William Haggas-trained juvenile having won the Group Two Pinsent Masons Lowther Stakes well at York on August 20. Acapulco (32), trained by Wesley Ward in the USA, is in second following her Group Two Queen Mary Stakes victory at Royal Ascot and runner-up position against older opposition in the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes.

The 25th annual Cartier Racing Awards will be presented at a glittering ceremony before an invited audience of 300 at the Dorchester Hotel, London, England, on the evening of Tuesday, November 10.

The Cartier Racing Awards were established in 1991 to reward excellence in horseracing. In addition to the eight equine awards, the Cartier/Daily Telegraph Award of Merit goes to the person or persons who, in the opinion of the special 17-strong Cartier Jury, has/have done the most for European racing and/or breeding either over their lifetime or within the past 12 months.

European horseracing's top awards are delivered through a tried and tested combination of points earned by horses in Pattern races throughout 2015 (30%), combined at the end of season with the opinions of a panel of racing journalists (35%) and votes from readers of Racing Post and The Daily Telegraph plus Channel 4 Racing viewers (35%).

Solow (152) continues to lead the way in the standings for Cartier Horse Of The Year. The five-year-old, trained in France by Freddy Head for the Wertheimer brothers, has recorded four Group One wins in 2015, mostly recently taking the Qatar Sussex Stakes at Goodwood last month.

Solow also holds a healthy advantage in the Cartier Older Horse division, ahead of Esoterique (92), successful in the Group One Prix du Haras de Fresnay-Le-Buffard - Jacques Le Marois over a mile at Deauville on August 16 and Amazing Maria (84), who has enjoyed a remarkable turnaround in 2015 for her new trainer David O'Meara with a pair of Group One successes at Newmarket and Deauville.

The closest pursuer to Solow in the race to be crowned Cartier Horse Of The Year is Golden Horn (136), who lost his unbeaten record when going down by a neck to shock 50/1 winner Arabian Queen (64), trained by David Elsworth for Jeff Smith, in the Group One Juddmonte International at York on August 19.

Golden Horn, owned by Anthony Oppenheimer and trained by John Gosden, landed the Investec Derby and Coral-Eclipse. The son of Cape Cross remains at the top of the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt division ahead of dual Guineas' winner Gleneagles (128), who missed both Goodwood and York due to unsuitable ground.

In the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly division, Legatissimo (120) holds a good advantage following a fantastic 2015 that has yielded two wins and two seconds in Group One company. She is pursued by the Aga Khan's Ervedya (88), a Group One scorer in France and Britain this season. Irish 1,000 Guineas scorer Pleascach (80) trained by Jim Bolger for Godolphin, moves into third place following her victory over Covert Love (48) in the Group One Darley Yorkshire Oaks on August 20, while Arabian Queen sits in fourth following her shock Juddmonte International triumph.

Muhaarar (96) increased his lead in the Cartier Sprinter division when taking the Group One LARC Prix Maurice de Gheest from Esoterique at Deauville on August 9, with Mecca's Angel (48) moving up into second following her impressive success in the Group One Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes at York on August 21.

Trip To Paris (56) successful in the Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, holds the aces in the Cartier Stayer category, though Alex My Boy (24), successful in the Group Two Darley Prix Kergolay at Deauville on August 23 for trainer Andreas Wohler and owner Jaber Abdullah, moves into joint third place with Bathyrhon.

Harry Herbert, Cartier's racing consultant, commented: "Two-year-olds represent the future and it is great to see the first Cartier Racing Awards points for them issued today.

"York and Deauville provided high-quality racing and now we look forward to Baden-Baden and Doncaster's Ladbrokes St Leger Festival."