IRISH, EUROPEAN & WORLD THOROUGHBRED RANKINGS 2016 INDEX OF CONTENTS Section 1 - Irish Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings 2016 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 2016 – Alphabetical Listing 23 AW Rating List 32 Quality Control 32 Section 2 – Statistical Summary 2016 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 Summary of Performances: Maiden Races 47 Section 3 – LONGINES’ World Best Racehorse Rankings 2016 48 Category Champions 50 LWBRR Listing for 2016 51 Group/Grade One Races (3-y-o’s+) Order of Merit 57 Section 4 - European Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings 2016 58 Category Champions 60 European Two Year Old Rankings (110+) 61 European Three Year Olds Rated 114-110 62 European Four Year Old & Upwards 114-110 64 Section 5 – Appendices 66 Irish Champion Racehorses 67 European Champion Racehorses 70 World Champion Racehorses 72 World Champion Racehorses - By Distance Category 75 SECTION 1 IRISH THOROUGHBRED RACEHORSE RANKINGS 2016 IRISH THOROUGHBRED RACEHORSE RANKINGS 2016 OVERVIEW 2016 was another hugely successful and unique year for Irish Flat Racing. All five Irish Classic winners were trained in Ireland and trained by five different trainers no less. Both Adrian Keatley (JET SETTING (IRE)(120)) and Willie Mullins (WICKLOW BRAVE) (GB)(115)) achieved first time Classic success in winning the Tattersalls Irish 1,000 Guineas (G1) and the Palmerstown House Estate Irish St Leger (G1) respectively while Kevin Prendergast (AWTAAD (IRE)(118)), Dermot Weld (HARZAND (IRE)(121)) and Aidan O’Brien (SEVENTH HEAVEN (IRE)(119) completed a unique nap hand for Irish trainers in annexing the Tattersalls Irish 2000 Guineas (G1), Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (G1) and Darley Irish Oaks (G1) respectively. All bar one of the twelve domestic Group 1 race winners were also trained here. The only foreign-trained Group 1 winner in Ireland was the outstanding French 3-y-o colt ALMANZOR (FR)(129), who put up the joint best performance in Europe in 2016 when winning the Qipco Irish Champion Stakes (G1) at Leopardstown and who was by a margin of 5lbs, the stand-out European colt of 2016. It was also a remarkable year for fillies/mares, in particular those trained by Aidan O’Brien, who netted 22 Group 1 victories worldwide, the majority of which were achieved by fillies and mares. Five of those successes were provided by champion European juvenile filly MINDING (IRE)(122), who improved her rating at 3 and equalled that of the previous highest-rated Ballydoyle-trained 3-y-o filly, namely PEEPING FAWN (USA)(122) in 2007. ALICE SPRINGS (IRE)(118) annexed a further three Group 1s with stable-mate SEVENTH HEAVEN (IRE)(119) doing a Darley Irish Oaks/Yorkshire Oaks double. FOUND (IRE)(124) achieved the highest rating of all these remarkable fillies in winning the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) at Chantilly, defeating stable-mates HIGHLAND REEL (IRE)(123) and ORDER OF ST GEORGE (IRE)(120), thereby constituting an unprecedented Ballydoyle/Irish sweep of the placings in Europe’s most valuable and prestigious race. There were a number of Irish-trained horses who achieved the distinction of being best in their age/distance category in the LONGINES WORLD BEST RACEHORSE RANKINGS of 2016 - most notably the aforementioned Minding (IRE), who apart from being top rated 3-y-o Turf filly in the world in 2016 also managed to top an unprecedented three different distance category listings – over 8,10 and 12 furlongs (she shared the L category title with her stable-mate Seventh Heaven). THE GURKHA (IRE)(122) was joint champion 3-y-o Turf Miler in winning two Group 1 races, namely the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (G1) at Deauville and the Qatar Sussex Stakes (G1) at Goodwood. Found (IRE) was Champion older mare on Turf over 12f and second only to crack Australian mare WINX (AUS)(132) in the World in 2016. TWO YEAR OLDS Irish-trained juveniles were an especially dominant group in 2016 with no less than five of the top ten European 2-y-os trained in Ireland with 18 inclusions (out of a total of 47 juveniles) in the European 2-y-o Classification (rated 110+) . CHURCHILL (IRE)(122) became the ninth European Champion juvenile colt trained by Aidan O’Brien in winning both the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (G1) at the Curragh and the Dubai Dewhurst Stakes (G1) at Newmarket. In doing so, he followed in the footsteps of AIR FORCE BLUE (USA)(124)(2015), DAWN APPROACH (IRE)(124)(2012), NEW APPROACH (IRE)(126)(2007) and TEOFILO (IRE)(123)(2006), who all won both these races in becoming European champion juveniles. Stable-mate CARAVAGGIO (USA)(116) was impressive in winning both the Coventry Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot and the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes (G1) at the Curragh but unfortunately injury prevented him from running again and improving on his rating. FASLIYEV (USA)(125) was Aidan O’Brien’s first European champion juvenile colt in 1999 and was the last horse to win both of these races won by Caravaggio in 2016. No fewer than 5 juvenile fillies trained in Ballydoyle merited inclusion in the European Classification with three of them rated 115+, which would be unprecedented in recent times. Joint-Champion juvenile fillies BRAVE ANNA (USA)(116) and RHODODENDRON (IRE)(116) both achieved this distinction by winning prestigious Group 1 races in England. Brave Anna (USA) narrowly outpointed stable-mate ROLY POLY (USA)(115) in the Connolly’s Red Mills Cheveley Park Stakes (G1) at Newmarket while Rhododendron (IRE) confirmed her superiority over stable-mate HYDRANGEA (IRE)(111) in winning the Dubai Fillies’ Mile (G1) at Newmarket although both of these fillies were previously defeated by INTRICATELY (IRE)(112) (first Group 1 winner trained by Joseph O’Brien) in the Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1) at the Curragh. Only the outstanding Queen Mary winner LADY AURELIA (USA)(121) deprived Aidan O’Brien of the distinction of training the best three juvenile fillies in Europe in 2016. 1 THREE YEAR OLDS Almanzor (FR) defeated Found (IRE) in the Qipco Irish Champion Stakes (G1) and confirmed his superiority achieving the same rating in winning the Qipco Champion Stakes (G1) at Ascot. His performance at Leopardstown was the joint best in the world on turf in 2016 and one has to go back to SEA THE STARS (IRE)(136) in the same race in 2009 to find a higher rated performance on an Irish racecourse. Minding (IRE) emulated her stable-mate Found (IRE) in becoming World Champion 3-y-o Turf Filly having been European Champion Juvenile Filly the previous year. She is also the first filly since KAZZIA (GER)(119)(2002) to do the English 1,000 Guineas/Oaks double. Her best performance was achieved in the QEII Stakes (sponsored by Qipco)(G1) at Ascot in October and one has to go back over twenty years to 1995 and RIDGEWOOD PEARL (IRE)(126) to find a higher rated Irish 3-y-o filly miler. HARZAND (IRE)(121) finally broke Dermot Weld’s duck in the Investec Epsom Derby (G1) and added the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (G1) at the Curragh, a race Dermot had won previously with ZAGREB (USA)(125) in 1996 and GREY SWALLOW (IRE)(124) in 2004. FOUR YEAR OLDS AND UPWARDS Found (IRE) is now Aidan O’Brien’s highest ever rated filly/mare after she improved on her 2015 rating by 4lbs in winning the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) – run this year at Chantilly as Longchamp undergoes renevations. She is the sixth female winner of the ‘Arc’ in the last 9 years following a fifteen year gap between URBAN SEA (USA)(125) in 1993 and ZARKAVA (FR)(128) in 2008 and the first Irish-trained female to win the race. She now holds the singular distinction of being European Champion filly/mare at 2, 3 and 4. Only SNOW FAIRY (IRE)(124) in 2012 and TIMARIDA (IRE)(124) in 1996 have emulated Found’s (IRE) level in the last twenty years and you have to go back to BALANCHINE (USA)(130) in winning the Budweiser Irish Derby (G1) in 1994 to find a higher rated distaffer over 10-12 furlongs who ran in Ireland. HIGHLAND REEL (IRE)(123) continued his remarkable globetrotting exploits and improved his rating by 2lbs in 2016, running in six different countries and winning 2 prestigious Group 1 races - the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) at Ascot and the Longines Breeders Cup Turf (G1) at Santa Anita – a double last achieved by DAYLAMI (135) in 1999. Order Of St George (IRE) was champion older Turf Stayer in the World for winning the Ascot Gold Cup (G1) albeit not quite emulating the level of previous Ballydoyle-trained winners of the race YEATS (IRE)(122)(2006/2009) and FAME AND GLORY (GB)(121) in 2011. The English-trained mare MECCA’S ANGEL (IRE)(116) achieved her rating of 121 in winning the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes (G1) for the second time at York but her performance level in winning the Kilfrush Sapphire Stakes (G2) earlier in the year at the Curragh has not been surpassed by a female sprinter in Ireland since POLONIA (120) in 1987. FASCINATING ROCK (IRE)(123) reproduced his 2015 level in winning the Tattersalls Gold Cup (G1) at the Curragh while HEARTBREAK CITY (FR)(118) was the second best older stayer for his game runner-up performance in the Emirates Melbourne Cup (G1) just ahead of Palmerstown House Estate Irish St Leger winner WICKLOW BRAVE (GB)(115).