News

ANZ Classifications 2010-11

8th Aug 2011

Australian Racing Board - Friday, 5 August 2011

On the eve of the first Black Type races of the new season the 2010.11 ANZ Classifications have been released reflecting the best individual performances by horses during the recently concluded racing year in Australia and New Zealand.

The highest rating for an individual performance during the season was 130 achieved by champion mare BLACK CAVIAR.

Black Caviar (Bel Esprit-Helsinge) maintained her unbeaten record winning eight times during the season, the last six all at Group One level. The Peter Moody trained 4yo achieved her rating of 130 when carrying 58kg to victory in the Newmarket Handicap [G1] over 1200m at Flemington. Her winning time of 1min 7.36secs was the fastest recorded in the 138 year history of the race.

Her rating of 130 represents the highest mark achieved by an Australian trained horse since the ANZ Classifications were incorporated into the World Thoroughbred Rankings in 2004 eclipsing the previous mark of 124 held by Makybe Diva (2005/6).

Next in the listings was international star, SO YOU THINK (High Chaparral-Triassic) who swept all before him in the Victorian Spring Carnival winning the Underwood Stakes, Caulfield Stakes, W.S. Cox Plate and Mackinnon Stakes achieving a rating of 126. He has now won two more Group One races in the Northern Hemisphere running to 126 again in both the Tattersalls Gold Cup at The Curragh in Ireland and the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown in England.

In a remarkable year for Australian trained horses others give world class ratings at 120 or higher were HAY LIST (Statue of Liberty-Sing Hallejuah) 122, MORE JOYOUS (More Than Ready-Sunday Joy), WHOBEGOTYOU (Street Cry-Temple of Peace) and ZIPPING (Danehill-Social Scene) all on 120.

World class stayer AMERICAIN (Dynaformer-America) who defeated Maluckyday and So You Think to record a historic victory as the first French trained winner of the Melbourne Cup was rated 121 for that win, but So You Think who as a 4yo and giving the winner 1.5kg in weight was the highest rated stayer in the world for 2010 in the extended distance category achieving a performance rating of 122 for his effort in the race that stops the nation.

Two-year-old Ratings

The highest rated 2yo of the season was SEPOY (Elusive Quality-Watchful) who became the first horse since Courtza (1989) to win both the Blue Diamond Stakes [G1] and Golden Slipper Stakes [G1]. Sepoy was rated 118 for his dominant victory in the Golden Slipper over fillies Mosheen and Elite Falls. This is the highest rating returned by a 2yo since Australia was incorporated into the International Ratings in 2004.

Next in the 2yo listings was Sepoy’s stablemate HELMET (Exceed and Excel-Accessories) at 114 who won both the AJC Sires Produce Stakes [G1] and Champagne Stakes [G1].

Darley and trainer Peter Snowden made it a clean sweep of Australia’s five Group One races for 2yo’s with the T.J. Smith Stakes [G1] winner BENFICA (Lonhro-Hut) on 110.

SMART MISSILE (Fastnet Rock-Comical Smile) who handed Sepoy his only defeat of the season in the Todman Stakes [G2] was the third highest rated 2yo on 111.

Heading the fillies division were MOSHEEN (Fastnet Rock-Sumehra) and ELITE FALLS (More Than Ready-Niagara Falls) on 108. Mosheen achieved her rating when 2nd to Sepoy in the Golden Slipper and Elite Falls, who finished 3rd in the same race, took her rating in winning the Riesling Stakes [G2] where she defeated Satin Shoes.

The leading 2yo in New Zealand was ANABANDANA (Anabaa-Great Notice) on 107. The Don Sellwood trained filly achieved her rating in beating the colts in the Diamond Stakes [G1] and she also won the Manawatu Sires Produce Stakes [G1]. ANTONIO LOMBARDO (Pins-Petit Verdot) who ran 2nd to Anabandana in the Sires was the highest rated colt on 104.

Three-year-old Ratings

Heading the 3yo division was New Zealand colt JIMMY CHOUX (Thorn Park-Cierzo) on 117 for his win in the Rosehill Guineas [G1] over Retrieve and class filly Shamrocker. He had already established himself as New Zealand’s top 3yo winning a string of Group races culminating in his New Zealand Derby victory.

Another New Zealand trained colt LION TAMER (Storming Home-Lioness) was rated at 116 for his easy victory on rain affected going in the VRC Derby [G1]. Also on 116 was RETRIEVE (Rahy-Hold to Ransom) who returned the mark in both the Rosehill Guineas and when 2nd to Shamrocker in the AJC Derby.

ANACHEEVA (Anabaa-Magic Monroe) on 116 headed the mile category for his win in the Caulfield Guineas [G1] in the Spring and STAR WITNESS (Starcraft-Leone Chiara) was the leading 3yo sprinter on 116 in winning the Ascot Vale Stakes [G1] and a week later when runner up to Black Caviar in the Patinack Farm Classic [G1].

The leading filly for the season was SHAMROCKER (O’Reilly-Bohemian Blues) on 115. The Danny O’Brien trained filly returned that figure when beating the colts in the AJC Derby [G1] a feat last achieved by Research in 1989. In a remarkable 3yo season Shamrocker was also joint leader in the mile category returning 113 when she again took on the colts and beat them in winning the Australian Guineas.

YOSEI (Invincible Spirit-Fuji Fairy) shared the honour of top filly in the mile division with Shamrocker at 113 for her brilliant win over Beaded in the Tattersalls Tiara [G1] during the Brisbane Carnival in June. ABSOLUTELY (Redoute’s Choice-Catshaan) was the second highest rated filly overall of the season on 114 for her dominant victory over Shamrocker in the AJC Oaks [G1].

New Zealand

The best performance by an older New Zealand-trained horse during the season was shared by MUFHASA (Pentire-Sheila Cheval) and WALL STREET (Montjeu-Villa Wanda) on 116.

Mufhasa achieved his rating when he defeated Wall Street and Keep The Peace in the Waikato Sprint at WFA over 1400m. Wall Street was rated 116 for winning the Ormond Spring Classic over 2040m at Hastings and for his victory under handicap conditions in the Cantala Stakes [G1] over 1600m at Flemington on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.

In an outstanding year for New Zealand trained horses HARRIS TWEED (Montjeu-Sally) and GINGA DUDE (Istidaad-Clatitude) were both assigned a mark of 115. Harris Tweed achieved his rating when runner up to Descarado in the Caulfield Cup [G1] while Ginga Dude was 3rd to So You Think and Descarado in the Mackinnon Stakes [G1].

General

The listings are compiled by the Senior Handicappers representing the Principal Racing Authorities of Australia as well as New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing. The performances of horses rated 115 and above are then confirmed by the World Thoroughbred Rankings Committee (WTR) representing Senior Handicappers from major racing nations across the world.

For inclusion in the Annual Classifications a horse must have finished in the first six placings in a Group or Listed race or had a significant performance in a feature non-black type race.

Horses three-years-old and over are included in the listings where they have achieved a rating of 100 or higher and for two-year-old’s an individual performance rating 95 or higher.

The distance categories are those determined by WTR as follows:

Category | Distance ----------- | ------------- : SPRINT: | 1000m - 1300m MILE: | 1301m - 1899m INTERMEDIATE: | 1900m - 2100m LONG: | 2101m - 2700m EXTENDED: | 2701m+

The full listings are available Here