Godolphin’s dual Group 1 winner Shadow Of Light has been crowned the Champion Two-Year-Old of 2024 with a rating of 120.

An impressive winner of the Group 1 Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes at Newmarket in September, the son of Lope De Vega followed that up with another top-level success in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes to become only the second horse since Diesis in 1982 to complete the Middle Park-Dewhurst double.

The Charlie Appleby-trained colt won on debut at Yarmouth in July before making it two-from-two in a novice contest at Newmarket the following month. He was then upped in class in the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes at York, finishing a close second to Cool Hoof Luke.

With that experience under his belt, Shadow Of Light stepped up a gear to win the Middle Park by four lengths, emulating his three-parts brother Earthlight who landed the six-furlong contest five years prior.

Shadow Of Light’s narrow Dewhurst win over Ballydoyle’s Expanded was enough to secure Appleby his third Champion Two-Year-Old title, following Pinatubo (128 – 2019) and Native Trail (122 – 2021).

Graeme Smith, BHA Handicapping Team Leader, said:

“Shadow of Light became just the third horse in more than a century to win both the Middle Park and Dewhurst, with his runaway success in the first of those earning him the title of European Champion Two-Year-Old of 2024 with a rating of 120.

“What’s unusual about this year’s classification is the level of competition at the top. There are eight horses rated between 117 and 120, and that really whets the appetite for some enthralling competition in their classic season ahead.”

Second in the Classification with a rating of 119 is the Aiden O’Brian-trained Lake Victoria, who achieved the rare feat of landing three Group 1 races in as many countries last season courtesy of her wins in the Moyglare Stud Stakes (Ireland), Cheveley Park Stakes (Britain) and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (USA).

IHRB Handicapper Mark Bird said:

“Lake Victoria created her own piece of history on the way to emerging as the Champion European Two-Year-Old Filly for 2024 by becoming the only Champion Filly in the history of the Classifications to win three Group/Grade 1 races at the age of two.

“Almost as remarkable, the daughter of Frankel recorded top-level wins at six furlongs, seven furlongs and a mile, as well as in three different countries.

“She ranks second only to Minding [2015] among Aidan O’Brien’s eight Champion European Two-Year-Old Fillies to date and matches the feat previously only achieved this century by Found [2014] in becoming the outright two-year-old Champion ahead of the colts in her native Ireland, a country which this year had the highest number of horses on the Two-Year-Old Classification for the first time ever.”

Aidan O’Brien also trained the joint-third horses in the Classification, Expanded and The Lion In Winter (118), with the latter winning both his starts before suffering a bruised foot ahead of the Dewhurst Stakes – a race he was favourite for – which brought a premature end to his season.

The leading juvenile filly in Britain was Godolphin’s Desert Flower, who achieved a rating of 117 following an unbeaten two-year-old campaign that ended with a five-and-a-half-length success in the Group 1 bet365 Fillies’ Mile.

Ones to watch in 2025

Alongside the publication of the Classification, the handicappers have attempted to pick out some of last year’s juveniles that they believe can impress in their three-year-old season.

Graeme Smith

Verse Of Love (Siyouni – Vercelli) Charlie Appleby

Verse Of Love created an excellent impression when running away with a 7f fillies’ maiden at Newmarket in October on her only start to date, and she looks a pattern winner in waiting.

A lengthy, imposing filly, out of a half-sister to an Australian Group 1 winner, she was never flat out to draw five lengths clear of a 76-rated stablemate and finished the race with plenty of running left. In doing so, she clocked a time that would support a figure well into 90s and it feels as though that was only scratching the surface.

It could be that we see Verse Of Love in Dubai prior to her European campaign and she looks one to follow wherever she goes.

I Am I Said (Almanzor – Tesoro) Ralph Beckett

The Future Stayers’ Novice over 8f at Newmarket’s two-year-olds’ fixture in October has been won by the likes of Cracksman and Hurricane Lane in the past, and last year’s winner I Am I Said looks a smart middle-distance prospect for the year ahead, too.

The Ralph Beckett-trained son of Almanzor was relatively unconsidered at 20/1 but won in decisive fashion after early greenness, needing minimal encouragement from jockey Richard Kingscote to run past and away from a couple of rivals who are rated in the mid-80s, winning by over four lengths and looking to have more in reserve.

I Am I Said is a half-brother to last year’s John Smith’s Cup winner Enfjaar, and, sure to stay at least 10f, looks an interesting one for the Derby trials this spring.

Crown Of Oaks (Wootton Bassett – Forest Crown) William Haggas

Crown Of Oaks will embark on his three-year-old season as a maiden but shedding that tag should prove a formality, and he looks one for significantly better company beyond that.

The William Haggas-trained colt was bought for 260,000gns as a yearling and is from a very useful family. His sole outing to date came in a 7f maiden at Newmarket in early October, where his position in mid-division proved a disadvantage as things fell for those ridden prominently. His strong finishing third to be beaten just over a length by Secret Theory and Spirit of Summer (now rated 90) was not only striking, but a significantly better performance than the bare result implies too, particularly as he took a while to get organised under pressure. Sure to stay at least 8f, he’s one to follow.

Mark Bird

Acapulco Bay (Dubawi – Je Ne Regretterien) Aidan O’Brien

Acapulco Bay showed sufficient promise in his two starts as a juvenile to suggest that he can take high order among the leading middle-distance horses in 2025.

By Dubawi, out of a full sister to Group 1 winners Chicquita and Magic Wand, he made an eye-catching debut at the Curragh in mid-August, when running on very strongly from the rear of the field, in what was a steadily run race, to take the runner-up spot behind his stable companion, the subsequently Group 1-placed colt Delacroix.

Reappearing three weeks later at the same venue and despite not looking suited by a change to front-running tactics, he nonetheless dispatched two subsequent maiden winners in efficient fashion.

Likely to be suited by a strong gallop and hold-up tactics, he looks open to significant progress when stepped up in trip this year.

Chantez (Wootton Bassett – Lady Lara) Ger Lyons

Chantez showed enough in her three starts as a two-year-old to suggest that she could compete at the highest level alongside several of the more high-profile fillies that will represent her yard as three-year-olds in 2025.

All three of her runs were at Leopardstown over 7fs and following a fine debut effort when just touched off in a maiden by the subsequently Group 1-placed filly Exactly, she made no mistake six weeks later when romping to an easy success. She ended the year in style when defeating seven previous winners, including the subsequent Group 2 Rockfel Stakes winner Bubbling, with a little in hand in the Listed Ingabelle Stakes.

By Wootton Bassett, she is a half-sister to the King Edward VII Stakes winner Changingoftheguard, and having already emulated her dam as a Listed winner, she has bright prospects of stepping up further in grade on a sound surface.

Powerful Nation (Sioux Nation – Atlantic Queen) Andy Slattery

Although not renowned as a hotbed of talent in the sprint division, several high-class sprinters trained in Ireland have been able to make a mark at a high level in recent decades. Powerful Nation showed enough in his six-race juvenile campaign to suggest that he may be able to join that list in 2025 and be able to compete at the top table.

His three turf races culminated in a second placing at Listed level before he turned his hand to the all-weather, ending the season with an unlucky defeat in a Group 3 race in October against older rivals.

The Sioux Nation colt is a powerful traveller who may not want to be in front for too long and like most sprinters, should improve with age and as he gains more experience. He looks well capable of leaving his 103 rating behind and is one to be excited about for this year and beyond.

Notes to editors:

1. The full European Two-Year-Old Classifications for 2024 can be found here.
2. A list of Champion Two-Year-Olds since 1978 can be found here.