VICTORY at York's Ebor Festival has propelled Enable to the top of the Cartier Horse of the Year standings for the first time this year.

Khalid Abdullah's brilliant mare, now with 128 points, gained a third consecutive Group 1 victory in the Darley Yorkshire Oaks when making all to beat Magical (120) - her closest rival in both the Cartier Horse of the Year and Cartier Older Horse categories.

The five-year-old now looks set to bid for an unprecedented third success in the Group 1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp on October 6, likely to be her final racecourse appearance.

Enable, trained by John Gosden and ridden by Frankie Dettori on all but two of her 14 starts, was crowned Cartier Horse of the Year and Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly in 2017, as well as Cartier Older Horse in 2018.

If she were to receive the Cartier Horse of the Year Award this year, the daughter of Nathaniel would emulate Frankel (2011 and 2012) and Ouija Board (2004 and 2006), the two previous multiple winners of the premier accolade.

The 29th annual Cartier Racing Awards will be presented at a glittering ceremony before an invited audience of 300 in London on Tuesday, November 12.

The Ebor Festival also produced one the races of the season as three-year-old Japan (108) edged out older rival Crystal Ocean (112) in a pulsating finish to the Group 1 Juddmonte International.

Japan was third in the Investec Derby earlier this season but the Coolmore-owned colt, trained by Aidan O'Brien, is now a strong contender for Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt honours, having also won the King Edward VII Stakes and the Juddmonte Grand Prix de Paris.

Stradivarius (112) claimed the Weatherbys Hamilton Stayers' Million for a second time when getting the better of Dee Ex Bee (64) in the Weatherbys Hamilton Lonsdale Cup Stakes on Knavesmire.

Bjorn Nielsen's five-year-old now holds a commanding position in the race to be crowned Cartier Stayer for the second year in succession.

Battaash (80) progressed to joint-second behind Blue Point (106) in the Cartier Sprinter standings following a blistering display in the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes, a second Group 1 victory for the Hamdan Al Maktoum-owned son of Dark Angel.