FOR the second year in succession, the accolade of world champion falls to Arrogate who replicated his 2016 rating of 134 even though his career was to end with three consecutive defeats.

After a stunning climax to his three-year-old season, Arrogate continued where he left off in the first part of last year by landing the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes and the Dubai World Cup.

His remarkable last-to-first charge in Meydan, where he readily accounted for compatriot Gun Runner, was adjudged to be the best performance in the world last year.

The World Cup, which was the third best race to be run in 2017, proved to be the final success of Arrogate’s career. The four-year-old was beaten in three runs in America through the second half of the season but this does not detract from his position as one of the exceptional American racehorses of the last 25 years.

Just two pounds behind Arrogate is the iconic Australian mare Winx who extended her unbeaten sequence to 22 races with another tour de force in 2017.

Over the course of last year, Winx notched up another six victories at the highest level with the obvious highlight coming when she recorded an amazing third consecutive victory in the Cox Plate at Moonee Valley in October.

Winx’s rating of 132 has only been equalled by another Australian great in Black Caviar and she is truly one of her country’s greatest racehorses. It is still possible that Winx will journey to Europe this summer and her appearance in these parts will surely be something to savour.

Furthermore, it will afford her the chance both to vindicate and provide context to the decision to rate her superior to such brilliant European mares as Treve and Goldikova (both 130).

The third best older horse in action in the world was the aforementioned Gun Runner who is among four horses rated 130 or higher in this year’s rankings. This is only the fourth time this century that this feat has been achieved.

As mentioned above, Gun Runner (130) met with defeat when taking on Arrogate in the Dubai World Cup but went on to dominate the intermediate division in America from mid-summer onwards. A Grade 1 four-timer for the now retired son of Candy Ride culminated in his clear-cut triumph in the Breeders Cup Classic at Del Mar in November. Although Gun Runner finds himself four pounds adrift of Arrogate in the rankings, his rating of 130 still marks him out as one of the standout dirt performers of the last 20 years.

The title of Europe’s champion older horse of 2017 falls to Ulysses who comes in at 126. Another to retire to stud at the end of last year, the Galileo horse began last season with just a Group 3 success to his name but he took his form to an altogether higher level during his four-year-old campaign.

His first Group 1 victory came when he just denied Barney Roy in the Eclipse but his best effort was his smooth two lengths victory over Churchill in the Juddmonte at York in August. Either side of that York run Ulysses posted honourable efforts in defeat behind Enable in the King George and the Arc.

It is surprising that the closest rival to Ulysses in Europe’s older horse division is the Andre Fabre-trained Cloth Of Stars. His sole top-level success came in the Prix Ganay in May but he owes his position in the ratings soley to his fine second to Enable in the Arc. Such a strong showing in what was deemed to be the world’s best race in 2017 meant that he was always going to occupy a lofty position amongst the luminaries of world racing.

Japanese runners regularly make their presence felt at the head of these rankings and the distinction of being the highest rated runner from that jurisdiction falls to the now retired Kitasan Black (124).

The six-year-old bowed out with seven Grade 1 victories and he is the all-time highest money earner in Japanese racing. Kitasan Black’s rating was achieved in last month’s Arima Kinen which often produces the highest betting turnover of any race in the world and, fascinatingly, the field is partly determined by votes from Japanese racing fans.

Europe’s top older miler was Ribchester (124) whose industrious campaign yielded three Group 1 wins, headed by the Prix du Moulin. Just a pound below him are the first Irish-trained horses to appear in the older horse rankings.

A second Irish St Leger victory for Order Of St George saw him end last season with a rating of 123. He has moved up 3lbs from his 2016 rating and Ballydoyle’s highest rated stayer, who has now reached the frame in two Arcs, remains in harness this year.

Also coming in at 123 is Order Of St George’s stablemate Highland Reel, who has equalled his 2016 rating. His global odyssey came to an end in fitting style as he defeated the Breeders’ Cup Turf winner Talismanic in last month’s Hong Kong Vase.