American Pharoah, Firing Line Stake Claims Near Top of IFHA Rankings

American Pharoah and Firing Line made big jumps in the World's Best Racehorse Rankings with their performances in the Kentucky Derby. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
As he has all year, Shared Belief continued to rule the roost of the International Federation of Horse Racing (IFHA) Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings when the rankings were released on May 14, tying with Hong Kong-based Able Friend at the top of the list with a 125.
But in the latest rankings, Shared Belief has been joined in the top seven by two impressive United States-based 3-year-olds while California Chrome was dropped from sixth to ninth. Overall, nine U.S.-based horses are in the top 20 of the rankings, compared to seven in April.
The two most notable rankings for U.S. horses were those of Kentucky Derby winner American Pharoah, who was upgraded from a 118 rating to a 124 because of the win. Firing Line, with his impressive second-place finish behind American Pharoah went from no rating in April to a 122, tying him for seventh on the list with QIPCO 2,000 Guineas (the first leg of the English Triple Crown) winner Gleneagles.
While California Chrome doesn’t appear at the top of this month’s rankings, it was because of the ratings given to other horses, not due to him being downgraded. The 4-year-old dual classic winner improved from a 120 to a rating of 121 after the Dubai World Cup in late March and continues to hold that rating.
The Kentucky Derby was well represented on this month’s rankings as Dortmund continued to hold the 120 rating he was given in April. Dortmund is currently the second choice on the Preakness Stakes morning line after finishing third in the Kentucky Derby. Mubtaahij, who finished eighth in the Kentucky Derby, also appears in the list with a rating of 119 earned for his United Arab Emirates Derby victory in late March.
United States-based older horses also in the top 20 include Eclipse champion Main Sequence with a 120, this year’s Donn Handicap winner Constitution with a 119 and Private Zone, who won the Churchill Down Stakes on Kentucky Derby day and was also given a 119 rating after that victory.
To see the top 20 ranked horses, click here.