| 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. |
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