High Top

Racing as a two-year-old in 1972, High Top won three times from four races. After winning his debut, High Top ran in the Washington Singer Stakes at Newbury, where finished second to Yarsolav, a colt to whom he was conceding three pounds. On his final appearance of the season, the colt was sent to Doncaster Racecourse for the Group One Observer Gold Cup and started at odds of 11/2. Ridden by the Scottish jockey Willie Carson he won by three quarters of a length from Steel Pulse, a colt which went on to win the following year's Irish Derby. The unplaced horses included Boucher and Rheingold.

High Top's win at Doncaster was the culmination of an outstanding season for Van Cutsem's two-year-old colts: he had won the Dewhurst Stakes with Crowned Prince and the Middle Park Stakes with Sharpen Up. In the Free Handicap, a rating of the year's best British two-year-olds, Crowned Prince was given top weight of 133 pounds, with High Top level with Yaroslav in second place with 131.

On his three-year-old debut, High Top was sent to Yorkshire to contest the Classic Trial at Thirsk Racecourse. he led from the start and won by five lengths from My Brief, with the leading filly Waterloo two lengths further back in third. With both Crowned Prince and Sharpen Up failing in their respective trials, High Top was Van Cutsem's sole representative in the 2000 Guineas over the Rowley Mile course at Newmarket on 29 April.[2] With Carson again in the saddle, he started the 85/40 favourite against eleven opponents, his form having been boosted by the success of Waterloo in the 1000 Guineas two days earlier.[7] High Top led from the start and went well clear approaching the final furlong. In the closing stages the Irish-trained colt Roberto emerged as a challenger, but the favourite was driven out by Carson to win by half a length, with a gap of six lengths back to Sun Prince in third.[8] The colt's success was a first classic win for both Carson and Van Cutsem.[9] High Top was strongly fancied to follow up in the Irish 2,000 Guineas but finished unplaced behind Ballymore and returned to Newmarket a sick horse. It was more than two months before he ran again.[4]

When High Top returned in the summer he showed good form without winning. At Goodwood in July he was beaten a head by Sallust, who set a new course record, in the Sussex Stakes.[10] He was then sent to France for the Prix Jacques Le Marois at Deauville in August. He led in the closing stages but was caught on the line by the French colt Lyphard. On his final appearance he finished fourth behind Sallust, Lyphard and Daring Display in the Prix du Moulin at Longchamp.[4]