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
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (), more commonly known by its acronym FIFA ( ), is the international self-regulatory governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal. It was founded on 21 May 1904 to o ...
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.
Related Awards
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 the
Juddmonte International won the title in 2020 and 2024. In 2023, the
Japan Cup
The is one of the most prestigious horse races in Japan. It is contested on the last Sunday of November, post time of 15:40 at Tokyo Racecourse in Fuchu, Tokyo at a distance of 2400 meters (about miles) run under weight for age conditions with ...
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.
The Longines World's Best Jockey 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.
Ryan Moore has also won it four times, as he took the inaugural contest in 2014 as well as the 2016, 2021, and 2023 editions.
James McDonald won the title in 2022 and 2024, while
Hugh Bowman won the title in 2017.
World Championship
International Federation of Horseracing Authorities was founded in 1961 and 1983 but now (2024) have not an official World Horse Racing Championship.
Top ranked horses
* ''Horse names are followed by a suffix indicating the country where foaled.''
See also
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Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association
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List of horse races
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Dubai World Cup Night
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Dubai World Cup
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Breeders' Cup
The Breeders' Cup World Championships is an annual series of Graded stakes race, Grade I Thoroughbred racing, Thoroughbred horse races, operated by Breeders' Cup Limited, a company formed in 1982. From its inception in 1984 through 2006, it was ...
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1000 Guineas Stakes
The 1000 Guineas Stakes is a Group races, Group 1 Flat racing, flat Horse racing, horse race in Great Britain open to three-year-old Filly, fillies. It is run on the Rowley Mi ...
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2000 Guineas Stakes
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Yuga Kawada
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Tōkyō Yūshun
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Champions Cup (horse race)
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British Champions Series
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List of horse racing venues
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List of horse racing venues by capacity
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Horse racing in Great Britain
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Jockey
A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase (horse racing), steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used ...
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List of leading Thoroughbred racehorses
References
External links
*International Federation of Horseracing Authoritie
{{WTRR
World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings,
Horse racing awards