Wise Dan to be Honored in Hong Kong
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Wise Dan is the third ranked racehorse in the world in 2013 (Photos courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire).
Eclipse awards aren’t the only thing Wise Dan will be receiving after a stellar 2013 campaign as the gelding is to be honored in Hong Kong during the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Ceremony on Dec. 6.
Wise Dan was ranked third in this year’s Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings with a 129. Black Caviar, the top rated sprinter in the world for the past four years tied Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winning filly Treve in the top spot with a 130.
All three horses will be recognized during the ceremony on Dec. 6 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The ceremony will take place during the weekend of the Longines Hong Kong International Races.
None of the top three horses are running in the Hong Kong races, but they all ended their seasons on a high note. Australian Black Caviar retired in April after winning her 25th straight race, ending a historic undefeated career. Treve, the undefeated 3-year-old filly, set the world on fire when she impressively won the Arc in October against males.
Wise Dan, who was rated just a point behind the females, won his second straight Breeders’ Cup Mile in November. The 2012 U.S. Horse of the Year looks to pick up his second straight Horse of the Year award this year after winning six of his seven 2013 races.
In all, four U.S.-based horses were ranked in the standing’s top 10 spots with the other three horses all ranked at 125.
The LONGINES World's Best Racehorse Rankings is horseracing's equivalent to World Rankings by other major sporting organizations such as ATP Tennis Rankings, World Golf Rankings, FIFA World Rankings for soccer and IRB Rugby World Rankings. The LONGINES Rankings are based on the ratings 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. Throughout the year the Longines Rankings are published at regular intervals and the consolidated annual rankings are released in January. 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.