2023 World's Best Racehorse Rankings

The 2023 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2023 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings.[1] It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) on 23 January 2024.[2] It included horses aged three or older which competed in flat races during 2023. It was open to all horses irrespective of where they raced or where they were trained.

Rankings for 2023

  • For a detailed guide to this table, see below.
Rank
Rating
Horse
Age
Sex
Trained
Surface
Cat.
1 135 Equinox (JPN) 4 C JPN Turf L
2 128 Ace Impact (IRE) 3 C FR Turf L
2 128 Mostahdaf (IRE) 5 H GB Turf I
4 127 Big Rock (FR) 3 C FR Turf M
4 127 Hukum (IRE) 6 H GB Turf L
6 126 Golden Sixty (AUS) 8 G HK Turf M
6 126 Westover (GB) 4 C GB Turf L
8 125 Auguste Rodin (IRE) 3 C IRE Turf L
8 125 Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) 5 G HK Turf S
10 124 Cody's Wish (USA) 5 H USA Dirt M
10 124 Do Deuce (JPN) 4 C JPN Turf L
10 124 Paddington (GB) 3 C IRE Turf I
10 124 Titleholder (JPN) 5 H JPN Turf L
10 124 White Abarrio (USA) 4 C USA Dirt M
15 123 California Spangle (IRE) 5 G HK Turf M
15 123 Luxembourg (IRE) 4 C IRE Turf I
15 123 Onesto (IRE) 4 C FR Turf L
15 123 Romantic Warrior (IRE) 5 G HK Turf M, I
19 122 Elite Power (USA) 5 H USA Dirt S
19 122 King of Steel (USA) 3 C GB Turf I
19 122 Think About It (AUS) 5 G AUS Turf S
19 122 Up To The Mark (USA) 4 C USA Turf L
19 122 Ushba Tesoro (JPN) 6 H JPN Dirt L
24 121 Arcangelo (USA) 3 C USA Dirt I
24 121 Art Collector (USA) 6 H USA Dirt M
24 121 Bay Bridge (GB) 5 H GB Turf I
24 121 Dubai Honour (IRE) 5 G GB Turf I
24 121 Emily Upjohn (GB) 4 F GB Turf L
24 121 I Wish I Win (NZ) 5 G AUS Turf S
24 121 Justin Palace (JPN) 4 C JPN Turf I, L
24 121 Liberty Island (JPN) 3 F JPN Turf L
24 121 Master of The Seas (IRE) 5 G GB Turf M
24 121 National Treasure (USA) 3 C USA Dirt M
24 121 Shahryar (JPN) 5 H JPN Turf L
24 121 Triple Time (IRE) 4 C GB Turf M
24 121 Without A Fight (IRE) 6 G AUS Turf E
37 120 Anamoe (AUS) 5 H AUS Turf M
37 120 Continuous (JPN) 3 C IRE Turf L
37 120 Derma Sotogake (JPN) 3 C JPN Dirt I
37 120 Durezza (JPN) 3 C JPN Turf E
37 120 Giga Kick (AUS) 4 G AUS Turf M
37 120 Gold Trip (FR) 6 H AUS Turf I, L
37 120 Inspiral (GB) 4 F GB Turf M
37 120 Iresine (FR) 6 G GB Turf I
37 120 Lemon Pop (USA) 5 H JPN Dirt I
37 120 Lord North (IRE) 7 G GB Turf M
37 120 Mr Brightside (NZ) 6 G AUS Turf M, I
37 120 Nashwa (GB) 4 F GB Turf M, I
37 120 Nations Pride (IRE) 4 C GB Turf I
37 120 Panthalassa (JPN) 6 H JPN Dirt M
37 120 Private Eye (AUS) 6 G AUS Turf S
37 120 Shaquille (GB) 3 C GB Turf S

Guide

A complete guide to the main table above.

Rank
A horse's position in the list, with the most highly rated at number 1. Each horse is ranked once according to its highest rating. Any lesser ratings for the same horse are not ranked.
Rating
A rating represents a weight value in pounds, with higher values given to horses which showed greater ability. It is judged that these weights would equalise the abilities of the horses if carried in a theoretical handicap race. The minimum rating required for inclusion is 115.
Horse
Each horse's name is followed by a suffix (from the IFHA's International Code of Suffixes) which indicates the country foaled.[3]
Age
The age of the horse at the time it achieved its rating. The racing ages of all horses foaled in a particular part of the world increase simultaneously, regardless of the actual date of foaling.[4]
Dates of age increase by location foaled
Northern Hemisphere 1 January
South America 1 July
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa 1 August
Sex
C Colt Ungelded male horse up to four-years-old
F Filly Female horse up to four-years-old
H Horse Ungelded male horse over four-years-old
M Mare Female horse over four-years-old
G Gelding Gelded male horse of any age
Trained
The country where the horse was trained at the time of the rating, abbreviated using the International Code of Suffixes.[3]
Position
The horse's finishing position in the race shown. The actual finishing order can sometimes be amended following an inquiry or a disqualification.
= Dead-heat
Promoted from original finishing position
Relegated from original finishing position
Race
The race (or one of the races) for which the horse achieved its rating. A defeated horse can be rated above its higher-placed opponents if it carried more weight.
Surface
The surface of the track on which the race was run, eg. turf or dirt. Synthetic surfaces are described as "artificial".


Distance
The distance of the race in metres. In some countries (eg. Canada, Great Britain, Ireland and the United States), the length of a race is usually expressed in miles and furlongs. These units have been converted to metres to allow for universal comparison.
Common conversions
5 furlongs = 1,006 m 1 mile and 1½ furlongs = 1,911 m
6 furlongs = 1,207 m 1 mile and 2 furlongs = 2,012 m
6½ furlongs = 1,308 m 1 mile and 2½ furlongs = 2,112 m
7 furlongs = 1,408 m 1 mile and 3 furlongs = 2,213 m
7½ furlongs = 1,509 m 1 mile and 4 furlongs = 2,414 m
1 mile = 1,609 m 1 mile and 6 furlongs = 2,816 m
1 mile and ½ furlong = 1,710 m 2 miles = 3,219 m
1 mile and 1 furlong = 1,811 m 2 miles and 4 furlongs = 4,023 m
Category
Metres Furlongs
S Sprint 1,000–1,300
1,000–1,599 (CAN / USA)
5–6.5
5–7.99 (CAN / USA)
M Mile 1,301–1,899
1,600–1,899 (CAN / USA)
6.51–9.49
8–9.49 (CAN / USA)
I Intermediate 1,900–2,100 9.5–10.5
L Long 2,101–2,700 10.51–13.5
E Extended 2,701+ 13.51+
International Code of Suffixes
The following countries have been represented in the WTR as foaling or training locations since the first edition in 2004.[3]
ARG Argentina ITY Italy
AUS Australia JPN Japan
BRZ Brazil KSA Saudi Arabia
CAN Canada NZ New Zealand
CHI Chile SAF South Africa
CZE Czech Republic SIN Singapore
FR France SPA Spain
GB Great Britain TUR Turkey
GER Germany UAE United Arab Emirates
HK Hong Kong USA United States
HUN Hungary VEN Venezuela
IRE Ireland ZIM Zimbabwe
Shading
The shaded areas represent lesser ratings recorded by horses which were more highly rated in a different category. The IFHA publishes this information when the lower rating is the overall top performance in a particular category.

References

  1. ^ "The 2023 World Thoroughbred Rankings". Horseracingintfed.com. 23 January 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  2. ^ "2023 Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings Summary". Horseracingintfed.com. 23 January 2024. Retrieved 2024-01-23.
  3. ^ a b c "International Code of Suffixes". International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities. May 2010. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
  4. ^ "Weight-for-Age Scale". Godolphin. Retrieved 6 March 2011.