Montjeu colt Camelot is champion juvenile of 2011

The unbeaten Camelot (3c Montjeu-Tarfah, by Kingmambo), a runaway winner of the G1 Racing Post Trophy, is jointly Europe’s Champion Two-Year-Old of 2011.

The Montjeu colt was given a mark of 119 by an international group of handicappers, revealed on Tuesday at the World Thoroughbred Rankings press conference.

The Aidan O’Brien-trained colt, who easily won his only previous start, goes into the 2012 season as a warm favourite to give Montjeu a fourth Epsom Derby success in eight years in June. Two of Montjeu’s previous Racing Post Trophy winners, Motivator (2004) and Authorized (2006), went on to Derby glory the following year.

British Horseracing Authority handicapper Matthew Tester explained that Camelot, who he described as "a wonderful prospect for 2012" would have been given a higher rating if his opposition had previously achieved more in the Racing Post Trophy.

"Camelot made a huge impression winning the Racing Post Trophy but he beat a small field of fairly unexposed horses," reasoned Tester.

Camelot is a second Champion Two-Year-Old in three years for Montjeu, following St Nicholas Abbey (5h Montjeu-Leaping Water, by Sure Blade) in 2009. St Nicholas Abbey went on to win last season’s G1 Breeders’ Cup Turf and G1 Coronation Cup.