The Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings (LWBRR), known as World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings (WTRR) before 2012, are horseracing's equivalent to World Rankings by other major sporting organizations such as ATP Tennis Rankings, World Golf Rankings, FIFA World Rankings for soccer and IRB Rugby World Rankings. The Longines Rankings are based on the rating earned by horses running worldwide from North and South America, Europe, Middle East, South Africa, Asia through to Australia and New Zealand.
The ratings are compiled under the auspices of The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) by racing officials & handicappers representing the five continents who compile the ranking order by agreeing on the rating for each horse. The ratings are based on the performance of horses in elite races held during the designated period which takes in account the quality of opposition and achievements of each horse. The annual rankings denote the champions in the various distance categories for example sprint or mile, surface either turf or dirt/artificial and also the fillies & mares category.
According to the IFHA website, "The IFHA World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings are the official assessment of the top performers." In 1977, France, Great Britain and Ireland published the first internationally agreed assessment of racing merit on behalf of the European Pattern Committee under the banner of the International Classifications. In 1985, Germany and Italy joined the system, to be followed by North America (both Canada and the United States) and Japan in the mid 1990s.
The Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings measure a given horse's peak performance during the year. Throughout the year the Longines Rankings are published at regular intervals and the final annual rankings are released in January. The three highest-rated horses are honored during the Longines World's Best Racehorse and Longines World's Best Horse Race Ceremony. [1]
The ratings for the horses also help establish two other awards: the aforementioned Longines World's Best Horse Race and the Longines World's Best Jockey. The Longines World's Best Horse Race award recognizes the best-rated race of the highest-rated Group 1 international races as established by a panel of international handicappers. The ratings of the top four finishers in each race serve as basis for the assessment. Introduced in 2015, the award was won by the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2021. The Breeders' Cup Classic won in 2016 and 2022, while in 2020, the Juddmonte International won the title. In 2023, the Japan Cup in association with Longines was named the World's Best Horse Race. Additionally, the IFHA releases the top 100 Group/Grade 1 races each year. [2]
The Longines World's Best Jockey [3] is named each December. The top 100 Group 1 and Grade 1 races serve as the base of this annual competition to recognize top jockeys throughout the world. Frankie Dettori has won the award four times, as he was named the Longines World's Best Jockey in 2015, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Hugh Bowman won the title in 2017, while Ryan Moore took the inaugural contest in 2014 as well as the 2016, 2021, and 2023 editions. James McDonald won the title in 2022.
International Federation of Horseracing Authorities was founded in 1961 and 1983 but now (2024) have not an official World Horse Racing Championship. [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
Group races, also known as Pattern races, or Graded races in some jurisdictions, are the highest level of races in Thoroughbred horse racing. They include most of the world's iconic races, such as the Derby, Irish Derby and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe in Europe, the Melbourne Cup in Australia, and the Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup races in the United States. Victory in these races marks a horse as being particularly talented, if not exceptional, and they are extremely important in determining stud values. They are also sometimes referred to as Black type races, since any horse that has won one of these races is printed in bold type in sales catalogues.
The Whitney Stakes is an American Grade 1 stakes race for Thoroughbred racehorses four years of age and older run at a distance of 1+1⁄8 miles. The current purse is $1,000,000.
The 2006 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings is the 2006 edition of the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings. It is an assessment of racehorses which was issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in January 2007. It includes horses aged three or older which raced or were trained during 2006 in countries where the flat racing year runs from January 1 to December 31. These countries are generally in the Northern Hemisphere.
The 2004 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings was the inaugural edition of the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings. It is an assessment of racehorses which was issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in January 2005. It includes horses aged three or older which raced or were trained during 2004 in countries where the flat racing year runs from January 1 to December 31. These countries are generally in the Northern Hemisphere.
The 2004–05 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings is the 2004–05 edition of the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings. It is an assessment of racehorses which was issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in August 2005. It includes horses aged three or older which raced or were trained during 2004–05 in countries where the flat racing year runs from August 1 to July 31. These countries are generally in the Southern Hemisphere, although some areas covered, such as Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, are actually north of the equator.
The 2005–06 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings is the 2005–06 edition of the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings. It is an assessment of racehorses which was issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in August 2006. It includes horses aged three or older which raced or were trained during 2005–06 in countries where the flat racing year runs from August 1 to July 31. These countries are generally in the Southern Hemisphere, although some areas covered, such as Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, are actually north of the equator.
The 2006–07 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings is the 2006–07 edition of the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings. It is an assessment of racehorses which was issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in August 2007. It includes horses aged three or older which raced or were trained during 2006–07 in countries where the flat racing year runs from August 1 to July 31. These countries are generally in the Southern Hemisphere, although some areas covered, such as Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, are actually north of the equator.
The 2007–08 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings is the 2007–08 edition of the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings. It is an assessment of racehorses which was issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in August 2008. It includes horses aged three or older which raced or were trained during 2007–08 in countries where the flat racing year runs from August 1 to July 31. These countries are generally in the Southern Hemisphere, although some areas covered, such as Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, are actually north of the equator.
The 2008 World Thoroughbred Rankings was the 2008 edition of the World Thoroughbred Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in January 2009. It included horses aged three or older which competed in flat races anywhere in the world during 2008. It was the first edition to be open to all horses irrespective of where they raced or were trained. In previous years the IFHA had published two separate listings – a "Northern Hemisphere" edition in January, and a "Southern Hemisphere" version in August.
The 2013 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2013 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in January 2012. It included horses aged three or older which competed in flat races during 2013. It was open to all horses irrespective of where they raced or were trained.
The 2014 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2014 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in January 2015. It included horses aged three or older which competed in flat races during 2014. It was open to all horses irrespective of where they raced or were trained.
The 2015 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2015 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in January 2016. It included horses aged three or older which competed in flat races during 2015. It was open to all horses irrespective of where they raced or were trained.
The 2016 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2016 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) on 24 January 2017. It included horses aged three or older which competed in flat races during 2016. It was open to all horses irrespective of where they raced or were trained.
The 2017 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2017 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) on 23 January 2017. It included horses aged three or older which competed in flat races during 2017. It was open to all horses irrespective of where they raced or were trained.
The 2018 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2018 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) on 24 January 2019. It included horses aged three or older which competed in flat races during 2018. It was open to all horses irrespective of where they raced or were trained.
The 2019 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2019 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) on 22 January 2020. It included horses aged three or older which competed in flat races during 2019. It was open to all horses irrespective of where they raced or were trained.
The 2020 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2020 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) on 26 January 2021. It included horses aged three or older which competed in flat races during 2020, and was open to all horses irrespective of where they raced or where they were trained.
The 2021 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2021 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) on 25 January 2022. It included horses aged three or older which competed in flat races during 2021. It was open to all horses irrespective of where they raced or where they were trained.
The 2022 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2022 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) on 25 January 2022. It included horses aged three or older which competed in flat races during 2022. It was open to all horses irrespective of where they raced or where they were trained.
The 2023 World's Best Racehorse Rankings, sponsored by Longines was the 2023 edition of the World's Best Racehorse Rankings. It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) on 23 January 2024. 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.