IRISH, EUROPEAN & WORLD THOROUGHBRED RANKINGS 2019 INDEX OF CONTENTS Section 1 - Irish Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings 2019 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 2019 – Alphabetical Listing 23 AW Rating List 32 Quality Control 32 Section 2 – Statistical Summary 2019 33 Ratings Review: All Horses 34 Ratings Review: Horses Rated 100+ 35 Summary of Performances: Overview 38 Summary of Performances: Pattern Races 41 Summary of Performances: Handicap Races 45 Section 3 – LONGINES’ World Best Racehorse Rankings 2019 50 Overview 52 Category Champions 54 LWBRR Listing for 2019 55 World Group/Grade One Races (3yos+) Order of Merit 61 Section 4 - European Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings 2019 62 Category Champions 64 European Two Year Old Rankings (110+) 65 European Three Year Olds Rankings (110+) 66 European Four Year Old & Upwards Rankings (110+) 68 Section 5 – Appendices 72 Irish Champion Racehorses 73 European Champion Racehorses 76 World Champion Racehorses 79 World Champion Racehorses - By Distance Category 82 SECTION 1 IRISH THOROUGHBRED RACEHORSE RANKINGS 2019 IRISH THOROUGHBRED RACEHORSE RANKINGS 2019 OVERVIEW It was an average enough year for Irish-trained horses internationally with no Irish-trained horses appearing in the Top 18 horses worldwide as listed in the LONGINES WORLD’S BEST RACEHORSE RANKINGS 2019 (a worldwide classification of horses aged 3+) and only 3 Irish races appearing in the World’s Top 100 Races run in 2019. There was a three way tie for Top-Rated Irish Horse of the Year (3yo+) with all three horses trained by Aidan O’Brien – the four-year-old filly MAGICAL (IRE)(122) and the three-year-old colts, JAPAN (GB)(122) and TEN SOVEREIGNS (IRE) (122). However, this level (122) would be the lowest for any Irish Champion (3yo+) Racehorse since Irish Classifications commenced in 1978. That said, Irish horses won ten of the 13 domestic Group 1 races run this year (up from 6 last year) as well as three of the five Irish Classics. The most exceptional performance of the year was that of the GB-trained juvenile PINATUBO (IRE)(128) in winning the Goffs Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (G1) by nine lengths and one has to go back to Storm Bird (USA)(128) in 1980 and El Gran Senor (USA)(128) in 1983 to find a comparable level of performance in the Irish Juvenile Classifications. TWO YEAR OLDS PINATUBO’s performance in winning at the Curragh made him the European Champion Juvenile Colt and he was an astonishing and unprecedented ten pounds higher rated than the next best European juveniles of 2019. One has to go back 25 years to find a higher-rated European Juvenile, namely Celtic Swing (GB) (130), back in 1994. PINATUBO subsequently won the Darley Dewhurst Stakes (G1) at Newmarket, defeating ARIZONA (IRE) (116) by a much smaller margin than at the Curragh. This performance by ARIZONA made him the highest-rated Irish-trained juvenile colt in 2019 although this would be the lowest level (along with Gleneagles (IRE) (116) (2014)) for a champion in this category this century. MILLISLE (IRE) (115) and ALBIGNA (IRE) (114) were the best two Irish-trained juvenile fillies in 2019. Both trained by Jessica Harrington, MILLISLE won the Juddmonte Cheveley Park Stakes (G1) at Newmarket, in the process becoming European Champion Juvenile Filly, while ALBIGNA won the Qatar Marcel Boussac (G1) at Longchamp. MILLISLE’s level (115) as European Champion Juvenile Filly would be similar to compatriot Clemmie (IRE) (115) back in 2017 but only Certify (USA)(113)(2012) would rate lower as a champion in this category since 1999. Barring the exceptional Pinatubo, it was a very average year for European juveniles although there were 14 Irish-trained juveniles in the top 40 European juveniles listed at a rating of 110+. Other notable Group 1 winning performances came courtesy of the Ger Lyons-trained colt SISKIN (USA) (114) and the Aidan O Brien trained filly LOVE (IRE)(111) winning the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes (G1) and Moyglare Stud Stakes (G1) respectively, both races at the Curragh. THREE YEAR OLDS While there was a very modest crop of 3-y-os worldwide in 2019, there were a number of meritorious Irish 3-y-os who fared best in their respective divisions in both Europe and the World. JAPAN (GB) (122) and TEN SOVEREIGNS (IRE)(122), both trained by Aidan O’Brien, were the Joint Top-Rated Irish 3-y-os with both horses best in the world in their respective distance categories. JAPAN earned the mantle of top Turf 3-y-o Colt in the World at 10f for his win over CRYSTAL OCEAN (GB)(128) in the Juddmonte Stakes (G1) at York in August and he achieved a similar rating for finishing fourth over 12f in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) in October. TEN SOVEREIGNS’ imperious display of sprinting in the Darley July Cup (G1) at Newmarket ensured he gets the award for top 3-y-o Turf Sprinter worldwide – an accolade not held by an Irish sprinter since One Cool Cat (USA) (114) back in 2004. 1 The Joseph O’Brien-trained three time Group 1 winner IRIDESSA (IRE)(116) and the Dermot Weld-trained SEARCH FOR A SONG (IRE)(116) shared the mantle of Champion Irish 3-y-o Fillies for 2019 although again, at a level of 116, only the French-trained Chicquita (Ire)(115) back in 2013 would have rated lower as a champion in this category in the last 25 years. IRIDESSA’s (IRE)(116) three Group 1 wins culminated in an impressive victory in the Makers Mark Breeders Cup Fillies and Mare Turf (G1) at Santa Anita for which she is deemed World Champion 3-y-o Turf Filly at 10f, while her earlier win in the Coolmore ‘Fastnet Rock’ Matron Stakes (G1) rated at a similar level and earned her the title of Joint Top-Rated European 3-y-o Turf Filly Miler. SEARCH FOR A SONG showed marked improvement to win the Comer Group International Irish St Leger (G1), in the process defeating four older G1-winning colts. Her performance level of 116 made her Top World 3-y-o Filly Stayer in 2019 and indeed one would have to go back to 1997 to find a higher rated Irish-trained filly in this category, namely the John Oxx-trained Ebadiyla (IRE)(117). FOUR YEAR OLDS AND UPWARDS The remarkably consistent and durable filly MAGICAL (IRE) (122) emulated her 3-y-o rating level, in the process winning three prestigious Group 1 races, namely the Tattersalls Gold Cup (G1), the Qipco Irish Champion Stakes (G1) and the Qipco British Champion Stakes (G1) at Ascot. She was also Joint Champion European Older Filly/Mare over 10f (along with her Coral Eclipse (G1) conqueror ENABLE (GB)). Best of the older colts were the Aidan O’Brien-trained stayer KEW GARDENS (IRE) (119) and the Ken Condon-trained miler ROMANISED (IRE)(118). KEW GARDENS narrowly defeated the World Champion Stayer (for the second year in a row) STRAVIDARIUS (IRE)(122) in winning the Qipco British Champions Long Distance Cup (G2) at Ascot while ROMANISED (IRE)(118) improved his 3-y-o rating level by a pound in winning the Prix du Haras de Fresnay le Buffard Jacques le Marois (G1) at Deauville in August . Among the older fillies, the Edward Lynam-trained sprinter SOFFIA (GB)(115) was considered the Best Older Sprinter Filly in Europe after her impressive win in the Friarstown Stud Sapphire Stakes (G2) at the Curragh in July while the Aidan O’Brien-trained MAGIC WAND(IRE)(115) improved her 2018 rating level by a pound and finally won a Group 1 (on her tenth attempt in 2019) in Australia in November in the Seppelt MacKinnon Stakes (G1) at Flemington in Melbourne. Her best performance was an unlucky defeat in the Longines Hong Kong Cup (G1) at Sha Tin in December but what was most noteworthy about her racing campaign in 2019 was that it started in Florida in January and ended in Hong Kong in December, running in eleven Group 1 races spread over four continents during that 12 month period. 2 CHAMPION RACEHORSES IN IRELAND 2019 CHAMPION TWO YEAR OLDS MALE FEMALE Horse Rating Trainer Horse Rating Trainer PINATUBO (IRE) 128 Charlie Appleby - GB MILLISLE (IRE) 115 Jessica Harrington (IRE) CHAMPION THREE YEAR OLDS MALE FEMALE Horse Rating Trainer Horse Rating Trainer TEN SOVEREIGNS (IRE) 122 Aidan O'Brien - IRE IRIDESSA (IRE) 116 Joseph O'Brien - IRE JAPAN (GB) 122 Aidan O'Brien - IRE SEARCH FOR A SONG (IRE) 116 Dermot Weld - IRE BY DISTANCE CATEGORY MALE FEMALE Horse Rating Trainer Horse Rating Trainer Fairyland (IRE) Aidan O'Brien - IRE S Ten Sovereigns (IRE) 122 Aidan O'Brien - IRE 112 Forever In Dreams (IRE) Aidan Fogarty - IRE M Magna Grecia (IRE) 120 Aidan O'Brien - IRE Iridessa (IRE) 116 Joseph O'Brien - IRE I Japan (GB) 122 Aidan O'Brien - IRE Iridessa (IRE) 116 Joseph O'Brien - IRE L Japan (GB) 122 Aidan O'Brien - IRE Star Catcher (GB) 115 John Gosden - GB E Il Paradiso (IRE) 116 Aidan O'Brien - IRE Search For A Song (IRE) 116 Dermot Weld - IRE CHAMPION OLDER HORSES MALE FEMALE Horse Rating Trainer Horse Rating Trainer MAGICAL (IRE) 122 Aidan O'Brien – IRE KEW GARDENS 119 Aidan O'Brien - IRE (IRE) BY DISTANCE CATEGORY MALE FEMALE Horse Rating Trainer Horse Rating Trainer S Make A Challenge (IRE) 112 Denis Hogan - IRE Soffia (GB) 115 Edward Lynam - IRE M Romanised (IRE) 118 Ken Condon - IRE I Can Fly (IRE) 111 Aidan O'Brien - IRE I Hunting Horn (IRE) 115 Aidan O'Brien - IRE Magical (IRE) 122 Aidan O'Brien - IRE L Kew Gardens (IRE) 117 Aidan O'Brien - IRE Magical (IRE) 122 Aidan O'Brien - IRE E Kew Gardens (IRE) 119 Aidan O'Brien - IRE True Self (IRE) 109 Willie Mullins - 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.