Bayern Headlines U.S. Horses on World’s Best Racehorse Rankings
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Bayern wins the Breeders' Cup Classic by a nose over Toast of New York. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
When the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings came out on Nov. 13, it was clear that Bayern and California Chrome aren’t just neck-and-neck in the Eclipse race.
Just a Way handily leads the rankings with a rating of 130 compared to the second place rating of 126 (four horses, including three 3-year-olds, are tied at the number), but for American fans, the next spot down is where it gets interesting.
Bayern won the Breeders’ Cup Classic at the beginning of this month and that victory improved him from the 121 he was ranked at in October to the 125 he earned in this month’s rankings. In that process he leap frogged both California Chrome, who has been sitting at a 124 ranking since his Kentucky Derby victory and Game On Dude, who led the rankings in March with a 125 after winning the Santa Anita Handicap. Game On Dude’s rating was dropped a point to 124 in September and he is currently tied for ninth with California Chrome.
Game On Dude leads all of America’s older males with his 124 rating but he is closely followed by Palace Malice, who has had a rating of 123 since his victory in the Metropolitan Handicap in June. Game On Dude was retired in September and now resides at Old Friends Equine, while Palace Malice is currently laid up due to injury. While it was originally announced after he suffered his injury that Palace Malice was retired, connections are now hopeful he can return to the track in 2015.
PALACE MALICE WINS THE METROPOLITAN HANDICAP
Bayern wasn’t the only horse affected by the Breeders’ Cup in the latest rankings, as 11 horses in the rankings ran at the event and three saw hikes in their ratings.
Toast of New York, who was second to Bayern by a nose in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, wasn’t ranked in the October list but now sits tied with Classic third-place finisher California Chrome with a rating of 124. Main Sequence, who won the Breeders’ Cup Turf, and Karakontie, who won the Breeders’ Cup Mile, also make appearances on this month’s list after being left off last month with ratings of 122 and 120, respectively.
Other U.S.-based horses on the list with their ratings are Shared Belief (122), Will Take Charge (122), Wise Dan (122), Obviously (121), Lea (120), Ride On Curlin (120), and Tonalist (120).
A number of foreign horses who made at least one appearance on a United States race track this year were also ranked on November’s list. Those horses include Breeders’ Cup Turf runner-up Flintshire (124), Arlington Million runner-up and previous Breeders’ Cup winner Magician (123), and Breeders’ Cup Turf favorite Telescope (122). In all, 18 horses who made at least one start in the United States this year have ratings of 120 or higher on the World Rankings.
View the entire rankings here. The final Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings of 2014 will be released on Jan. 20, 2015.