Dubai: Taghrooda, a dual Group 1 winner in Britain this season, faces a serious threat from unbeaten French filly Avenir Certain as she bids to join an illustrious lists of winners of the Cartier Three-Year-Old Filly of the Year Award.

The John Gosden-trained Epsom Oaks and King George heroine tops the category with 112 points, but is being hotly pursued by Jean-Claude Rouget’s Avenir Certain on 80 points.

Both Taghrooda and her challenger, winner of the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (G1) and Prix de Diane (G1) are likely to meet for the first time in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) at Longchamp, France, on October 5.

The result of that performance could have a huge bearing on which filly will be crowned champion at the Cartier Racing Awards on November 11.

Taghrooda is owned by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance.

Previous winners include high class horses like Bosra Sham (1996), Cape Verdi (1998), Ouija Board (2004), Snow Fairy (2010), The Fugue (2012) and Treve last year.

Widely recognised as horseracing’s equivalent of the Oscars, the winners are determined by points earned in Pattern races throughout 2014 (40 per cent), combined with the opinions of a panel of racing journalists (30 per cent) and votes from readers of the Racing Post and The Daily Telegraph and Channel 4 Racing viewers (30 per cent).

Meanwhile, The Grey Gatsby threw open the race for the prestigious Cartier Horse Of the Year Award when beating dual Derby winner Australia by a neck in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown earlier this month.

As a result of the setback, Australia lost the chance to bridge the gap on quadruple Group 1 winner Kingman, who leads the pack with 208 points.

Gosden’s stable flag-bearer also heads the Cartier Three-Year-Old Colt category, with Australia and The Grey Gatsby occupying the second and third spots.

Kingman can secure the title by taking the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on British Champions Day at Ascot on October 18.

Harry Herbert, Cartier’s Racing Consultant, said in a press statement: “Attention will soon switch to France for Europe’s middle distance showdown, the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on October 4, while Qipco British Champions Day at Ascot on October 18 is on the horizon.

“The race for Cartier honours this year is still open to significant change.”