Graduates

AUSSIE'S GROWING IN WORLD RANKINGS

By Greg Carpenter
Racing Victoria's Chief Handicapper and Chairman of the ANZ Classifications Committee Greg Carpenter is Australia’s representative on the World Thoroughbred Rankings Committee.

Each year the International Federation of Horse Authorities publishes the World Thoroughbred Rankings which are compiled by a panel of Handicappers and form assessors representing the 14 major racing countries in the world.

The rankings take into account all performances throughout the world, irrespective of where individual horses were raced or trained, during the calendar year. To merit inclusion in the listings, a horse must have been rated at 115 or above in any individual performance during that year.

Since the northern hemisphere countries opened the rankings to the rest of the world in 2003 the total number of Australian trained horses rated 115+ has continued to grow year by year as the world has recognised the emerging reputation of Australia as a power in world racing.

These numbers do not include the high quality Australian bred horses that are trained elsewhere and have also been rated amongst the world’s best like International Group One winners Silent Witness, Sacred Kingdom, Absolute Champion, Igugu, War Artist, Kinshasa No Kiseki, Rocket Man, Ultra Fantasy, Musir and Sun Classique to select just a few.

The 2010 World Thoroughbred Rankings were again a wonderful advertisement for the quality of the Australian racing and breeding industries and spoke volumes for the growing influence Australian trained and bred horses are having on World Racing.

They announced unbeaten mare Black Caviar as the Champion Sprinter of the World, achieving a rating of 123 in winning the Patinack Farm Classic in November. She led a total domination of the world sprinting ranks by Australian bred horses, where they filled five of the top six places through perennial champion Sacred Kingdom (121), Singapore superstar Rocket Man (121), Royal Ascot hero Starspangledbanner (121) and local star Hay List (120).

Australian bred sprinters have rightly been viewed as the best in the world for a number of years.

Choisir, Takeover Target, Miss Andretti and Scenic Blast have all achieved famous victories during the week of Royal Ascot.

Between 2000 and 2009 every renewal of the Hong Kong International sprint was won by an Australian bred horse with stars like Falvelon, Silent Witness, Sacred Kingdom and Absolute Champion. Australian bred runners have supplied less than 40% of runners through the 11 renewals of the race but have produced 70% of all placegetters and 91% of winners.

In 2011 Black Caviar has achieved a rating of 130 in winning the Newmarket at Flemington, an unprecedented level for a sprinter on the world stage and Rocket Man has also progressed to a published rating of 125 in winning the Kris Flyer Sprint. The achievements of these two horses have broken new ground in terms of recognition for sprinters on the world stage.

In South Africa the remarkable Galileo filly Igugu produced a wonderful performance to beat the older horses in the Durban July over 2200m, her third victory at Group One level. She was crowned South African Horse Of The Year and continued the great form of Australian bred horses in that country.

Aidan O'Brien has now trained three stars that were the product of the Australian racing system.

Haradasun had won twice at Group One level in his home country before heading to Coolmore where he proved himself a world class miler defeating the wonderfully consistent French filly Darjina and Finsceal Beo, who had won the 1000 Guineas in both England and Ireland the previous season.

Starspangledbanner emulated his sire Choisir in winning the Golden Jubilee and then went one better than him by winning the July Cup at the testing Newmarket course, where Choisir was beaten by Oasis Dream in that race.

O'Brien has maintained his perfect record in winning Group One races with his Australian imports taking three in this European summer with the mighty So You Think with the promise of more to come in the future.

All of these results provide ample proof that Australian horses are world class and will continue to give the buyers of Australian bred horses a chance to win some of the great races run around the globe in the years ahead.

Horses rated 115+ who have siblings in 2012 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale

World Rating | Horse | Sibling At Easter : ----- | --------- | ------- : 130 | Black Caviar | Half-sister by Redoute's Choice 126 | So You Think | Full brother by High Chaparral 121 | Starspangledbanner | Half-brother by Redoute's Choice 119 | Happy Zero | Full sister by Danzero 117 | Danleigh | Half-sister by Henrythenavigator 117 | Wanted | Half-brother By Street Cry 116 | Hot Danish | Half-brother by Encosta de Lago 116 | Run For Levi | Half-sister by Redoute's Choice 115 | Melito | Full brother by Redoute's Choice