Bayern Highest Rated U.S. Horse in World’s Best Racehorse Rankings

Bayern was the highest rated horse in the U.S. in 2014, thanks in part to the Breeders' Cup Classic. (Photos by Eclipse Sportswire)
Three days after the United States crowed their Eclipse Award winners, Longines released its last World’s Best Racehorse ratings for 2014 at its awards ceremony in London.
History was made on the international scene when Japan had its first-ever highest rated horse with Just A Way earning a rating of 130 to lead the rankings. Following close behind Just A Way was fellow Japanese runner and Japan Cup winner Epiphaneia coming in with a rating of 129 for that victory.
Six horses tied for third with a rating of 127 and while there wasn’t an American in that group, the U.S.’s highest ranked runner wasn’t far behind.
Bayern, who was a finalist in two Eclipse categories but lost out to California Chrome in both, earned his revenge with three 125 rated performances for wins in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Haskell Invitational and Pennsylvania Derby. The rating makes him the highest-ranking dirt horse on the list and ties him with German Derby winner Sea the Moon.
Only one point behind the Breeders’ Cup Classic winner was a large group of names American fans will recognize. Newly crowned Horse of the Year California Chrome’s 124 rating came from four races, including his Kentucky Derby win and Breeders’ Cup Classic third, while Game On Dude joined him at that number with his victory in the Santa Anita Handicap last March.
The two other American-based horses are also known as the top two turf horses in the country with this year’s champion older male and turf male Eclipse winner Main Sequence earning the 124 for his Breeders’ Cup Turf victory and two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan taking the 124 for his Maker’s 46 Mile. Rounding out the recognizable names at the number was Breeders’ Cup Classic runner-up Toast of New York, who is based in Britain but shipped over to the U.S. for three of his four 2014 starts.
MAIN SEQUENCE AFTER WINNING THE BREEDERS' CUP TURF

Palace Malice earned a rating of 123 for three of his four wins and was joined at that rating with Shared Belief for the gelding’s Pacific Classic victory. Overall, 11 United States-based horses were giving ratings of 120 or above, the second most of any country behind Great Britain.
Other horses who ran in the United States and were ranked at 120 or above this year include Breeders’ Cup Turf runner-up Flintshire (123 for his Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe runner-up performance), Arlington Million runner-up Magician (123 for his Prince of Wales’s runner-up finish), Telescope (122 for his Hadwicke win at Royal Ascot), and Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Karakontie (120 for that performance).
Also released at the Longines ceremony was the European 2-year-old classification, which ranked the top 2-year-olds to run in Europe last year.
The United States-based, Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner Hootenanny was given a 115 rating. The Wesley Ward-trained colt ran twice in Europe in 2014, winning the Winsor Castle Stakes at Royal Ascot and finishing second in the Group 1 Darley Prix Morny.
After Hootenanny’s Breeders’ Cup victory, Ward told At The Races that the colt will probably start his season in the Transylvania Stakes at Keeneland before shipping to England for the Qipco 2,000 Guineas, England’s first classic race of the season. 
HOOTENANNY ENDED 2014 WITH A WIN AT THE BREEDERS' CUP