Irish, European & World Thoroughbred Rankings 2015
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
IRISH, EUROPEAN & WORLD THOROUGHBRED RANKINGS 2015 INDEX OF CONTENTS Section 1 - Irish Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings 2015 Overview 1 Category Champions 2 Irish Two Year Old Rankings 3 Irish Three Year Old Rankings 6 Irish Four Year Old & Upwards Rankings 12 Irish Thoroughbred Rankings by Distance Category 19 Irish Rating List 2015 – Alphabetical Listing 24 AW Rating List 32 Quality Control 33 Irish Runners in Overseas Handicaps 33 Statistical Summary 34 Group & Listed Race Wins in Ireland 35 Irish Winners of Group & Listed Races Overseas 36 Section 2 – LONGINES World Best Racehorse Rankings 2015 37 Overview 39 Category Champions 41 LWBRR Listing for 2015 42 Section 3 - European Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings 2015 48 Overview 50 Category Champions 51 European Two Year Old Rankings (110+) 52 European Three Year Olds Rated 114-110 53 European Four Year Old & Upwards 114-110 55 Section 4 – Appendices 57 Irish Champion Racehorses 58 European Champion Racehorses 60 World Champion Racehorses 62 World Champion Racehorses - By Distance Category 65 SECTION 1 IRISH THOROUGHBRED RACEHORSE RANKINGS 2015 IRISH THOROUGHBRED RACEHORSE RANKINGS 2015 OVERVIEW 2015 was a very successful year for Irish-trained horses both at home and abroad with no less than five of them top rated in the World in their individual categories and with a further five horses also top ranked in Europe on a similar basis. 8 of the 12 Group 1 races run in Ireland were won by Irish- trained horses including 3 of the 5 domestic Classics. Aidan O’Brien trained the winners of two domestic Classics but he also won two Classic races in Great Britain and was arguably unlucky not to win a third with BONDI BEACH (IRE)(118) being thrown out on appeal having been awarded the Ladbrokes St Leger (G1) in the Stewards Room on the day of the race at Doncaster – worldwide, he trained a total of 17 Group 1 winners in 2015. The highest rated horse to run in Ireland in 2015 was the GB trained Turf World Champion 3-y-o GOLDEN HORN (GB) (130), who ran to 124 when winning the QIPCO Irish Champion Stakes (G1) at Leopardstown, but who was rated 130 overall for the year and second only to American Triple Crown winner AMERICAN PHAROAH (USA)(134) in the LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings (LWBRR). The highest rated Irish-trained horse (3yo+) in 2015 was ORDER OF ST GEORGE (IRE)(124) who was the top rated Stayer in the World for his stunning eleven lengths triumph in the Palmerstown House Estate Irish St Leger (G1) at the Curragh. Just behind ORDER OF ST GEORGE in the LWBRR listing were the Dermot Weld trained duo of FREE EAGLE (IRE)(123) and FASCINATING ROCK (IRE)(123) with the former winning the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (G1) at Royal Ascot and the latter the QIPCO Champion Stakes (G1) on British Champions Day at Ascot. Both horses shared the accolade of the World’s top older Turf horse over 10f as well as sharing the honour of being the highest rated older Irish horse in 2015. Aidan O’Brien also trained the top 3-y-o Turf Miler in the World in GLENEAGLES (IRE)(122), who won three Group 1s, namely the QIPCO 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket, the Tattersalls Irish 2,000 Guineas at the Curragh and the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot – a treble last achieved by HENRYTHENAVIGATOR (USA)(125), also trained at Ballydoyle, in 2008. Aidan also trained the top 3-y-o Turf Filly in the World over both 10 furlongs and 12 furlongs in the shape of FOUND (IRE)(120), who ran with great distinction at all three Champions’ weekend meets at Leopardstown, Longchamp and Ascot before finally getting her head in front of GOLDEN HORN in the LONGINES Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1) at Keeneland, which was, remarkably, her best performance, coming after four tough Group 1 races in four different countries over a seven week period. Arguably an even more remarkable achievement in terms of durability was provided by FOUND’s stablemate HIGHLAND REEL (IRE)(121). This 3-y-o colt managed to run in Group 1 races on four different Continents, winning two, namely the Secretariat Stakes(G1) at Arlington Park Chicago in August and the LONGINES HK Vase (G1) at Sha Tin in December and being placed in the other two – when second in the Prix de Jockey Club (G1) at Chantilly in May and third in the William Hill Cox Plate (G1) at Moonee Valley in October. Aidan O’Brien had the distinction of training both the top European juvenile colt and filly in the same year for the third time in his career (2005, 2011 previously) with AIR FORCE BLUE (USA)(124) and MINDING (IRE)(120) respectively. AIR FORCE BLUE on that rating would be inferior only to JOHANNESBURG (USA)(126)(2001) and NEW APPROACH(IRE)(126)(2007) in terms of Irish trained juveniles this century while one needs to go back to 1984 and the Jim Bolger trained PARK APPEAL (IRE)(121) to find a higher rated Irish juvenile filly than MINDING. Other Top Ranked Irish trained horses in a European context include top older Stayer MAX DYNAMITE (FR)(117), Top Older Sprinting Male SOLE POWER (GB)(118) and top 3yo filly Miler LEGATISSIMO (IRE)(116). 1 CHAMPION RACEHORSES IN IRELAND 2015 CHAMPION TWO YEAR OLDS MALE FEMALE Horse Rating Trainer Horse Rating Trainer Air Force Blue (USA) 124 Aidan O'Brien IRE Minding (IRE) 120 Aidan O'Brien IRE CHAMPION THREE YEAR OLDS MALE FEMALE Horse Rating Trainer Horse Rating Trainer Mattmu (GB) 113 Tim Easterby GB Fort Del Oro (IRE) 107 Edward Lynam IRE S Toscanini (IRE) 113 Michael Halford IRE M Gleneagles (IRE) 122 Aidan O'Brien IRE Legatissimo (IRE) 116 David Wachman IRE I Golden Horn (GB) 124 John Gosden GB Found (IRE) 119 Aidan O'Brien IRE L Jack Hobbs (GB) 123 John Gosden GB Found (IRE) 120 Aidan O'Brien IRE E Order of St George (IRE) 124 Aidan O'Brien IRE CHAMPION OLDER HORSES MALE FEMALE Horse Rating Trainer Horse Rating Trainer S Sole Power (GB) 118 Edward Lynam IRE Majestic Queen (IRE) 106 Tracey Collins IRE Cougar Mountain (IRE) 117 Aidan O'Brien IRE Cladocera (GER) 110 Alain De Royer Dupre FR M Custom Cut (IRE) 117 David O'Meara GB Fascinating Rock (IRE) 123 Dermot Weld IRE Ribbons (GB) 114 James Fanshawe GB I Free Eagle (IRE) 123 Dermot Weld IRE L Fascinating Rock (IRE) 120 Dermot Weld IRE Carla Bianca (IRE) 107 Dermot Weld IRE E Max Dynamite (FR) 117 Willie Mullins IRE Silwana (IRE) 107 Dermot Weld IRE DISTANCE CATEGORIES KEY FURLONGS METRES S 5.0 - 6.5 1,000 - 1,300 M 6.51 - 9.4 1,301 - 1,880 I 9.41 - 10.99 1,881 - 2,199 L 11.0 - 13.5 2,200 - 2,700 E 13.51+ 2,701+ Note: Only horses rated 100 or better are considered for Champion status in each category. 2 IRISH TWO YEAR OLD RACEHORSE RANKINGS 2015 OVERVIEW AIR FORCE BLUE (USA)(124) was the outstanding European juvenile colt of 2015 and did not look back after his defeat in the Coventry Stakes (G2) at Royal Ascot. He remained unbeaten thereafter, reversing the placings with his Royal Ascot conqueror BURATINO (IRE)(117), in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes (G1) before improving again to win the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (G1) at the Curragh and the Dubai Dewhurst Stakes (G1) at Newmarket – a unique treble of Group 1 races not previously achieved by any juvenile. In terms of Aidan O’Brien-trained juveniles historically, only JOHANNESBURG (USA)(126)(2001) and FASLIYEV (USA)(125)(1999) have rated higher than AIR FORCE BLUE (USA) on 124, a rating he would also share with GEORGE WASHINGTON (IRE)(2005) and ST NICHOLAS ABBEY (IRE)(2009). MINDING (IRE)(120) was the outstanding European juvenile filly of 2015 and clear top rated on 120 with only QUEENS LOGIC (IRE)(122)(2001) and SIX PERFECTIONS(FR)(121)(2002) being rated higher in a European context this century. She was defeated by stablemate BALLYDOYLE(IRE)(113) in the Breast Cancer Research Debutante Stakes (G2) before comfortably reversing placings with that filly in the Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1) but her historically high rating was achieved by virtue of her four and a half length triumph in the Dubai Fillies’ Mile (G1) at Ascot – the best performance by an Irish juvenile filly in over 30 years marking her out in the process as the best juvenile filly trained to date by Aidan O’Brien. There were three other Group 1 juveniles trained by Aidan O’Brien in 2015. The aforementioned BALLYDOYLE (IRE)(113) did not have to improve on her Moyglare second to win the Prix Marcel Boussac (G1) at Longchamp on Arc Weekend, defeating the Jim Bolger trained TURRET ROCKS (IRE)(110) in the process. HIT IT A BOMB (USA)(116) came from last to first in remarkable fashion to win the Breeders Cup Juvenile (G1) at Keeneland, becoming the third Ballydoyle-trained winner of this race in its short history. His trainer will be hoping that he trains on better than his two previous trained winners, namely WROTE (IRE)(2011)(115) and GEORGE VANCOUVER (USA)(2012)(117) both of whom proved disappointing at three. JOHANNES VERMEER (IRE)(113) was defeated twice in Group 1 company before finally getting his turn in the Criterium International (G1) at Saint Cloud in November. 3 IRISH TWO YEAR OLD THOROUGHBRED RACEHORSE RANKINGS 2015 RATING SFC SEX HORSE SIRE DAM RUNS WINS TRAINER COUNTRY FOALED 124 C Air Force Blue (USA) War Front Chatham 5 4 Aidan O'Brien IRE 02-May 120 F Minding (IRE) Galileo Lillie Langtry 5 3 Aidan O'Brien IRE 10-Feb 116 C Hit It A Bomb (USA) War Front Liscanna 3 3 Aidan O'Brien IRE 20-Feb 113 F Ballydoyle (IRE) Galileo Butterfly Cove 6 3 Aidan O'Brien IRE 27-Jan 113 C Herald The Dawn (IRE) New Approach Hymn of the Dawn 5 2 Jim Bolger IRE 20-May 113 C Johannes Vermeer (IRE) Galileo Inca Princess 6 3 Aidan O'Brien IRE 20-Apr 113 C Washington DC (IRE) Zoffany How's