Dubai: Postponed, who cemented his position as the leading middle-distance runner in Europe when winning last week’s Group 1 Juddmonte International at York, looks poised to seize not one, but two 2016 Cartier Racing Awards at horse racing’s year-end extravaganza.

Owned by Shaikh Mohammad Obaid Al Maktoum and trained in Newmarket by Roger Varian, Postponed currently heads the Cartier Older Horse category but is also set to stake a claim for the coveted Horse of the Year award should he win the Group 1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, Europe’s most prestigious flat race, which takes place at Chantilly, France, on October 2.

Postponed was recording his fourth consecutive victory of 2016 in the G1 Juddmonte having previously won the Dubai City of Gold and Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan and the Coronation Cup at Ascot.

The five-year-old son of Dubawi heads the Older Horse division with 116 points and is followed by Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Found and Highland Reel with 80 points.

His exploits also see him within striking distance of Minding (176), the winner of the 1,000 Guineas and Epsom Oaks, 2,000 Guineas and St. James’s Palace Stakes victory Galileo Gold (136) and The Gurkha (128), French 2,000 Guineas hero, in the Horse of the Year category.

Only Frankel (2012), Goldikova (2010), Ouija Board (2006) and Dylami (1999) in recent years won both the Horse of the Year and Older Horse of the Year double, a feat which Postponed has a strong chance of accomplishing give his prodigious talent.

Meanwhile, Minding, trained by Aidan O’Brien for the Coolmore partnership, continues to lead the overall standings for both Horse Of The Year and Three-Year-Old Filly.

In the Three-Year-Old Colt category, Galileo Gold is still ahead of The Gurkha, who is now out for the rest of the season.

Godolphin’s Ribchester is in contention for the colt’s prize having put up the best performance of his career when taking a Group 1 at Deauville, France, in which Galileo Gold finished eighth.

Mecca’s Angel (56) captured the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes at York for the second consecutive year on August 19 and has moved up into joint-second place in the Sprinter division behind Quiet Reflection (64).

Order Of St George (56), successful in the Group 1 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot in June, holds the advantage in the Stayer’s category.

Harry Herbert, Cartier’s Racing Consultant, commented: “It has been a tremendous August with fabulous action at both York and Deauville.

“In particular, Postponed’s victory in the Juddmonte International has shown him to be one of the very best middle-distance horses of recent times.

“The big autumn contests will soon be upon us and there is still much to be decided on the racecourse before the 2016 Cartier Racing Awards are announced.”

The 26th annual Cartier Racing Awards, reward excellence in horse racing, will be presented on the evening of Tuesday, November 8, 2016, at the Dorchester Hotel, London, England.