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Native Trail named top two-year-old in Europe

One of the stars of European racing in 2021 has undoubtedly been Native Trail, owned by Godolphin and trained by Charlie Appleby.

The colt has now been named the top two-year-old in the 2021 European rankings, released in January 2022, having achieved a rating of 122, 7lb ahead of his closest rivals, of which there are a few at 115.

The ranking also puts him 2lb clear of the top-rated two-year-old in the 2020 rankings, St Mark’s Basilica, who unsurprisingly now tops the three-year-old rankings.

There is a group of two-year-olds sitting 7lb behind Native Trail at 115, including Coroebus, Dubawi Legend, Inspiral, Luxembourg, Perfect Power and Tenebrism.

Appleby will no doubt be happy to be represented in the ratings not just by his winning colt Native Trail but also by Group 3 Autumn Stakes winner Coroebus.

Native Trail was unbeaten in 2021 in four outings, starting with a stunning win at Sandown in June, where he came in ahead of Royal Patronage and Mount Snowdon.

The following month brought another win in the Superlative Stakes at Newmarket.

In August, Native Trail retained his unbeaten status with a win at the Group 1 National Stakes at the Curragh with his highest-ranked performance of the season.

His final triumph of the year was at the Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes.

2021 saw a total of 42 two-year-olds making the list.

The number has only ever been lower on one occasion, in 2019, when the list consisted of just 40 names, so it is fair to say that 2021 was hardly a stellar year for two-year-olds.

Native Trail’s rating of 122, however, puts him in good company.

It is the same rating as Navy Flag achieved in 2017, and Churchill in 2016, as well as Toormore in 2013 and Mastercraftsman in 2008.

Native Trail was ridden in all four winning races in 2021 by British-Norwegian jockey William Buick, who signed with Godolphin in 2015.

Buick’s successful season came as no surprise given his previous form.

Since winning Apprentice Jockey of the Year in 2007 and 2008, he has gone from strength to strength, winning various high-profile races over the years and providing Godolphin with its first ever win at Royal Ascot in 2018, on Blue Point.

In the same year, Buick also won the G1 Derby at Epsom on Masar.

The success of Native Trail in the European rankings marks just one more success for trainer Charlie Appleby, who is employed by Godolphin at its Moulton Paddocks stable in Newmarket, Suffolk.

The 46-year-old trainer was a relative unknown to many racing fans in 2013 when he was chosen to succeed the disgraced Mahmood Al Zarooni as Godolphin’s trainer, even though he had, at that point, been working for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Godolphin operation for 15 years.

Appleby was the World Trainer of 2021 in the TRC Global Rankings and the British flat racing Champion Trainer in the 2021 season.

Kirk is a lifelong follower of all motorsports, particularly Formula 1, Nascar and WRC. When not found at the side of the circuit, eyes stinging from the burnt rubber, he also covers tennis, eSports and other categories for us.

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