IRISH, EUROPEAN & WORLD THOROUGHBRED RANKINGS 2018 INDEX OF CONTENTS Section 1 - Irish Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings 2018 Overview 1 Category Champions 3 Irish Two Year Old Rankings 4 Irish Three Year Old Rankings 7 Irish Four Year Old & Upwards Rankings 12 Irish Thoroughbred Rankings by Distance Category 18 Irish Rating List 2018 – Alphabetical Listing 23 AW Rating List 32 Quality Control 32 Section 2 – Statistical Summary 2018 33 Ratings Review: All Horses 34 Ratings Review: Horses Rated 100+ 35 Summary of Performances: Overview 37 Summary of Performances: Pattern Races 40 Summary of Performances: Handicap Races 44 Section 3 – LONGINES’ World Best Racehorse Rankings 2018 48 Overview 50 Category Champions 52 LWBRR Listing for 2018 53 World Group/Grade One Races (3yos+) Order of Merit 60 Section 4 - European Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings 2018 61 Category Champions 63 European Two Year Old Rankings (110+) 64 European Three Year Olds Rated 114-110 65 European Four Year Old & Upwards 114-110 67 Section 5 – Appendices 70 Irish Champion Racehorses 71 European Champion Racehorses 74 World Champion Racehorses 76 World Champion Racehorses - By Distance Category 79 SECTION 1 IRISH THOROUGHBRED RACEHORSE RANKINGS 2018 IRISH THOROUGHBRED RACEHORSE RANKINGS 2018 OVERVIEW 2018 was a mixed year on the racecourse from an Irish viewpoint. Irish-trained horses won four of the five domestic Classics and it was noteworthy that they were trained by four different trainers – Ken Condon trained ROMANISED (IRE)(117) to win the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas, the Jessica Harrington trained ALPHA CENTAURI (IRE)(124) won the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas, Joseph O’Brien trained the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby winner LATROBE (IRE)(115), while his father Aidan trained the 3-y-o FLAG OF HONOUR (IRE)(117) to win the Comer Group International Irish St Leger. However only two of the remaining eight Group 1 races held in Ireland were won by Irish-trained horses, testifying to a less stellar year internationally than enjoyed in recent years. However one of these races – The Coolmore Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes at Leopardstown – was the highest rated race in the world confined to fillies and mares. There were a number of highlights however, most notably the achievement of the aforementioned Alpha Centauri in winning four Group 1 races and in the process becoming Joint World Champion 3-y-o filly on Turf (along with the crack Japanese filly ALMOND EYE (JPN)(124)). The Aidan O’Brien 3-y-o filly MAGICAL (IRE)(122), while defeated by dual Arc winner ENABLE (GB)(125) in the Longines Breeders Cup Turf, achieved a rating equal to PEEPING FAWN (IRE)(2008) and MINDING (IRE)(2016) but never previously bettered by a Ballydoyle-trained 3-y-o filly. KEW GARDENS (IRE)(120), in winning the William Hill St. Leger at Doncaster, was the top 3-y-o Stayer in the World on turf. US NAVY FLAG (USA)(119) was champion European 3-y-o Turf Sprinter while RHODODENDRON (IRE)(117) was Joint Champion European Older Mare at a mile. TWO YEAR OLDS There were 20 Irish-trained juveniles (out of a total of 44) included in the European 2-y-o Classification (rated 110 or higher), which was three more than last year. The top-rated Irish juvenile performance of the year was by the unbeaten Charlie Appleby- trained colt QUORTO (IRE)(121) in impressively winning the Goff’s Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (G1) at the Curragh from ANTHONY VAN DYCK (IRE)(118). Quorto, the second highest rated juvenile in Europe this year, was only the third British- trained champion juvenile in Ireland this century, following in the footsteps of TOORMORE (IRE)(122) in 2013 for Richard Hannon and his own sire DUBAWI (IRE)(122), who was Joint Champion in 2004 for Saeed bin Suroor. The top domestically- trained colt was the unbeaten Aidan O’Brien-trained TEN SOVEREIGNS (IRE)(120), the sixth Ballydoyle-trained winner of the Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes (G1) at Newmarket. The Martyn Meade-trained ADVERTISE (GB)(119) was the third highest rated juvenile in Europe after running up to the John Gosden-trained champion TOO DARN HOT (GB)(126) in the Darley Dewhurst Stakes (G1) but he had previously earned Group 1 success in winning the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes (G1) at the Curragh. On a rating of 126, Too Darn Hot is the co-highest rated European juvenile this century along with the Irish-trained duo of JOHANNESBURG (USA) in 2001 and NEW APPROACH (IRE) in 2007 and the ‘dead heaters’ of 2010 – DREAM AHEAD (USA) and FRANKEL (GB). The Patrick Prendergast Jr.-trained SKITTER SCATTER (USA)(114) was the top-rated Irish juvenile filly after completing a treble (Silver Flash Stakes (G3), Debutante Stakes (G2) and Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1)) last achieved by MAYBE (IRE)(116) (the dam of Saxon Warrior (JPN)) in 2011. Not unlike last year’s champion juvenile colt, US Navy Flag, her juvenile career started slowly and she only won one of her first four starts before improving markedly to annex that aforementioned ‘treble’. She was rated joint second best juvenile filly in Europe alongside the John Quinn-trained SIGNORA CABELLO (IRE)(114), who was defeated by the European Champion Juvenile filly PRETTY POLLYANNA (GB)(116), trained by Michael Bell, in the Darley Prix Morny (G1) at Deauville in August. Second best Irish-trained juvenile filly was the Joseph O’Brien-trained IRIDESSA (IRE)(113), who won the Bet 365 Fillies’ Mile (G1) at Newmarket. 1 THREE YEAR OLDS Alpha Centauri (IRE)(124) became the highest rated Irish-trained 3-y-o filly since RIDGEWOOD PEARL (GB)(126) in 1995 and the joint highest rated Irish filly/mare this century along with Arc winner FOUND (IRE)(124) in 2016 in winning four Group 1 races in 2018. Having beaten the classic generation in the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas (G1) and the Coronation Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot, she then comfortably won the all-aged Tattersalls Falmouth Stakes (G1) for Fillies and Mares at Newmarket, but her best performance on ratings was in winning the Prix du Haras de Fresney-le-Buffard Jacques Le Marois (G1) at Deauville when she defeated the French-trained colt RECOLETOS (FR)(121). One has to go back to Ridgewood Pearl (GB) in 1995 and indeed to BALANCHINE (USA)(130) the previous year, to discover the last time the top Irish 3-y-o filly rated higher than the top colt in the same year so it is particularly unusual that the second top rated 3-y-o in 2018 was also a filly in Magical (IRE)(122). She was particularly progressive towards the end of the season in winning her first Group 1 in the QIPCO British Champions Fillies and Mares (G1) at Ascot before improving markedly again in running up to Enable (GB)(125) in the Longines Breeders Cup Turf (G1) at Churchill Downs. On that performance she achived the joint highest rating for a 3-y-o filly at 12f in Ireland this century along with the Sir Michael Stoute-trained PETRUSHKA (IRE)(2000) and PEEPING FAWN (USA)(2007), who was also trained at Ballydoyle. SAXON WARRIOR (JPN)(121) was the top rated Irish-trained 3-y-o colt of 2018 and his sole Group 1 win was in the QIPCO 2,000 Guineas (G1) at Newmarket. However, he achieved a higher rating subsequently in defeat to the World Champion 3-y-o at 10f on turf, ROARING LION (USA)(127), in both the Coral Eclipse (G1) at Sandown and again in the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes (G1) at Leopardstown. Kew Gardens (IRE)(120) became the third Aidan O’Brien-trained World Champion 3-y-o Stayer in the last four years (after Order Of St George (IRE)(124) in 2015 and CAPRI (IRE)(120) last year) in winning the William Hill St. Leger (G1) at Doncaster and emulated the level of top older Stayer – STRADIVARIUS (IRE)(120) in the process. US Navy Flag (USA)(119) was rated 3lbs lower than his juvenile mark at year end but still managed to secure the accolade of Top European 3-y-o Sprinter in winning the Darley July Cup (G1) at Newmarket. His stablemate MERCHANT NAVY (AUS)(118) emulated former Ballydoyle inmate STARSPANGLEDBANNER (AUS)(121)(2011) in achieving Group 1 success at Royal Ascot in the Diamond Jubilee (G1) having earlier also achieved that status as a Southern Hemisphere 3-y-o colt in Australia. FOUR YEAR OLDS AND UPWARDS It was a moderate year for older Irish-trained horses and this is evident from the fact that the top older horses of 2018 rated at just 118, which was fully three pounds below the level of previous lowest rated Older Horse Champions (CEZANNE (GB) in 1994 and NORSE DANCER (IRE) in 2004) in the last 25 years. Three horses shared the accolade of Top Older Irish Horse in 2018 – the Aidan O’Brien-trained duo of LANCASTER BOMBER (USA)(118) and CAPRI (IRE)(118) and the Jessica Harrington-trained six year old stayer TORCEDOR (IRE)(118) Lancaster Bomber (USA)(118) has been a model of consistency throughout his career but having been placed in no less than six Group 1 races during 2015-2017, he finally won that elusive Group 1 in 2018 and achieved a career-high rating in the process when he stepped up in distance to 10.5f for the first time in the Tattersalls Gold Cup (G1) at the Curragh in what transpired to be his last ever race. Capri (IRE)(118) rated 2lbs below his 3-y-o rating in finishing fifth in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) at Paris Longchamp in what was an injury-truncated 4-y-o career while Torcedor (IRE)(118) improved his rating to a career high at six years of age in running up to European Champion Older Stayer Stradivarius (IRE)(120) in both the Ascot Gold Cup (G1) and the Qatar Goodwood Cup (G1).