'Worthy champion' Native Trail crowned top two-year-old in European rankings

Godolphin's unbeaten colt Native Trail has been overwhelmingly rated the top two-year-old in Europe for 2021 and is 7lb clear of his nearest rival after the classifications were released on Wednesday.

The Charlie Appleby-trained star has been handed a rating of 122, which is 2lb higher than St Mark's Basilica was awarded in top spot in 2020, but 6lb lower than fellow Godolphin performer Pinatubo (128) achieved in 2019.

Native Trail capped a brilliant year for his stable when landing the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes on his final start and the 2,000 Guineas favourite is the eighth straight winner of the Newmarket feature to top the classifications.

Native Trail was unbeaten in four starts in 2021, which kicked off when landing the odds in a 7f maiden at Sandown in June.

Upped to Group 2 company in the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket the following month, the son of Oasis Dream overcame his inexperience to score narrowly on the July course.

Given a two-month break after that, Native Trail then emulated Pinatubo and posted his highest ranked performance of the year when recording a stylish win in the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh before taking a similar route in the Dewhurst Stakes.

Native Trail: the top juvenile in Europe in 2021

Appleby is also represented among the seven colts and fillies to finish second in the ratings on 115 by Group 3 Autumn Stakes winner Coroebus.

BHA head of handicapping Dominic Gardiner-Hill said: "Native Trail is a worthy champion, having been one of the star performers of an incredible year for his stable. He's the second highest-rated juvenile in three years for Charlie Appleby and got his season-high rating from his win in the National Stakes.

"Going forward, we don't know how good he is but at the moment on 122 he's on a par with previous champions Mastercraftsman (2008), Toormore (2013), Churchill (2016) and US Navy Flag (2017)."

He added: "That said, 2021 cannot be described as a vintage year for two-year-olds in terms of performance ratings. A total of 42 horses have made this list and only once, when there were 40 in 2019, have there been fewer, so we can deduce that talent was quite thinly spread at the top end last year."

Aidan O'Brien, who has topped the juvenile rankings four times in the past decade, settled for a share of second this time with Vertem Futurity winner Luxembourg and Cheveley Park Stakes heroine Tenebrism, who was ranked top filly for 2021 alongside Fillies' Mile winner Inspiral.

The unbeaten daughter of Frankel has wintered well at John and Thady Gosden's Clarehaven yard and could go straight to the 1,000 Guineas on May 1.

Thady Gosden said: "Inspiral has thickened out nicely in recent months. She's only trotting at the moment and we'll play it by ear but it could be that she goes straight to the 1,000 Guineas."

The other juveniles on 115 are French Group 1 winner Angel Bleu, trained by Ralph Beckett, Richard Fahey's Group 1 Middle Park Stakes winner Perfect Power and Dewhurst runner-up Dubawi Legend, trained by Hugo Palmer.

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