News

Black Caviar Tops Australian Ratings in 2012

15th Jan 2013

Australian Racing Board - Media Release - Tuesday, 15 January 2013

World Racing's undefeated champion FRANKEL dominated the headlines following the release of the 2012 World Thoroughbred Rankings (WTR) by the International Federation of Horse Authorities in London tonight (AEST).

Frankel, who has been retired to stud and will not race again, topped the listings at 140, the highest rating assigned to a race horse since Dancing Brave was given a mark of 141 in 1986.

Unbeaten Australian champion BLACK CAVIAR was assigned a rating of 130 by the WTR Committee and for the third straight year is the Champion Sprinter in the World.

In another remarkable year Black Caviar won all six starts, including five at Group 1 level and extended her career winning sequence to 22 after travelling to England and winning the Diamond Jubilee Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.

Her rating of 130 was achieved in winning the Group 1 Lightning Stakes at Flemington, where she defeated her great rival Hay List in February. That race has been re-named the Black Caviar Lightning by the Victorian Racing Club and is expected to be Black Caviar’s starting point for her farewell campaign on February 16.

Australia’s representative on the WTR Committee, Greg Carpenter, said the rating assigned to Black Caviar reflects her brilliant win over Hay List, her nearest rival in the World sprint division in the Lightning.

“It confirms her position as the greatest sprinter and the greatest female equine athlete world racing has seen in the modern era,” Carpenter said.

Black Caviar headed the Sprint division ahead of another Australian bred and trained star in Hay List (125), who achieved his rating in carrying 58.5 kilograms to a courageous victory over Buffering in the Newmarket Handicap at Flemington in March.

The mark of 125 for Hay List places the star Australian sprinter in elite company and equals the rating assigned to Oasis Dream in 2003 and Rocket Man in 2011 as the highest rating given to any sprinter other than Black Caviar since 2002.

Black Caviar and Hay List led a total domination of the Turf Sprint division by Australian bred horses with the next five spots being filled by Atlantic Jewel (122), Rocket Man (122), Sepoy (122), Foxwedge (121) and Mental (121).

Black Caviar also headed the Four Years Old and Up Mares Mile category (1301m-1899m) for her effortless win in the Group 1 Orr Stakes over 1400m at Caulfield in February when she was assigned a mark of 125.

Champion mare More Joyous was the second highest rated mare in this distance category for her win in the Doncaster Handicap in April, when she carried 57.5kg to victory in the famous Randwick mile.

The 2012 World Thoroughbred Rankings take into account all performances throughout the world, irrespective of where individual horses raced or were trained, during the calendar year.

To merit inclusion in the rankings, a horse must have been rated at 115 or above in the period under review.

Aside from Black Caviar, a number of Australian horses headed their respective age and distance categories.

ALL TOO HARD – Equal Champion 3YO Mile (Turf)
Star 3yo All Too Hard achieved a career high rating of 121 for his courageous second placing in the W.S. Cox Plate at Moonee Valley (2040m) in October. His performance in winning the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) earlier that month, where he defeated arch rival Pierro, was assigned a mark of 119 giving him the distinction of sharing the title of Champion 3yo Miler on Turf with the Aidan O’Brien trained Camelot, who rated 119 in winning the English 2000 Guineas at Newmarket and top South African 3yo Variety Club who won the Durban Guineas over 1600m at Greyville in May.

ATLANTIC JEWEL – Champion 3YO Filly Sprint
Unbeaten Atlantic Jewel was the Champion 3yo filly in the Sprint distance category for her breathtaking victory against older mares in the Sapphire Stakes at Randwick in April, achieving a career high rating of 122.

GREEN MOON – Equal Champion 4YO And Up Stayer
Emirates Melbourne Cup hero Green Moon shared the title of Champion Older Stayer (2701m and further) with Japanese superstar Orfevre. Green Moon was assigned a mark of 118 in defeating Fiorente and Jakkalberry in one of the strongest Cups in history in early November. This was the same rating achieved by Dunaden when he won the Melbourne Cup in 2011.

HAY LIST – Champion 4YO And Up Male Sprint
Achieved in winning the Newmarket Handicap with 58.5kg, the highest weight carried to victory in the Group 1 Sprint for more than 50 years.

MOSHEEN – Champion 3YO Filly Mile
Mosheen was the highest rated 3yo filly in the mile category with her brilliant win against the males in the Australian Guineas over 1600m at Flemington in March.

SEPOY – Champion 3YO Male Sprint
Now retired to stud, Sepoy was the highest rated 3yo male in the Sprint distance category for his close fifth under top weight in the Oakleigh Plate at Caulfield in February when kicking off his ill-fated 2012 campaign.

WORLD’S BEST PERFORMERS
The top rated horse for 2012 was for the second year running unbeaten English superstar Frankel who achieved a rating of 140. This is the highest mark of any horse since Dancing Brave was rated 141 in 1986. Both Frankel and Dancing Brave raced for the same owner, Khalid Abdulla.

Trained by Sir Henry Cecil, Frankel retired unbeaten after 14 career starts. He was assigned his rating of 140 for his 11 length romp in the Group 1 Queen Anne over 1600m ( Royal Ascot, June) and the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes over 2000m (York, August).

French star Cirrus Des Aigles was next in the listings (131), achieved in winning the G1 Ganay Stakes (Lonchchamp, April) by eight lengths and in his runner-up effort to Frankel in the G1 British Champion Stakes (Ascot, October).

So You Think, who will stand his first season at stud in 2013, was assigned a rating of 126 for his win in the Group 1 Irish Tattersalls Gold Cup (Curragh, May), the third successive year that So You Think achieved the mark.

AUSTRALIAN TRAINED HORSES The total number of Australian-trained horses to make the WTR increased to 51 from 47 in 2012; this represented the highest number on record.

“The 2012 World Thoroughbred Rankings provide a superb advertisement for the quality of Australia’s racing and breeding industries,” Carpenter said.

“While Black Caviar, Hay List, Atlantic Jewel and More Joyous were obvious standout performers, the depth of Australian racing was again shown by the total number of Australian trained horses included in the listings.

“The number of Australian-trained horses to rate 120 or greater continues to grow with a record number of eight in this elite category in 2012, up from six the year prior, four in 2009 and just two in 2008, which continues this positive progression.”

Joining Black Caviar, Hay List, Atlantic Jewel, More Joyous and Sepoy, were All Too Hard, Foxwedge and Mental who all achieved a rating of 121.

“The Australian breeding industry had another stellar year internationally with a further 13 Australian-bred horses racing abroad with great distinction for trainers in Great Britain, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa and Dubai.

“We also saw horses trained outside Australia in Americain, Dunaden, Fiorente, Jakkalberry, It’s a Dundeel, Mufhasa, Ocean Park and Shez Sinsational, all producing World class performances in Australian races."

Total Number of Australian Trained Horses Rated 115+
2012 - 51
2011 - 47
2010 - 43
2009 - 50
2008 - 36
2007/08 - 33
2006/07 - 29
2005/06 - 16
2004/05 - 9

Rating categories are as follows:
Sprinter: 1000m – 1300m (1000m – 1599m in USA /Canada)
Mile: 1301m – 1899m (1600m – 1899m in USA/Canada)
Intermediate: 1900m – 2100m
Long: 2101m – 2700m Extended (Stayer): 2701m+