FOR those of us fascinated by ratings – and I am hoping that is some of you, also! – 2020 may prove to be something of a watershed year in which the usual hegemony was challenged.

When it comes to the year-end World’s Best Racehorse Rankings – the combined views of official handicappers from around the world – the US always gets the largest representation, usually followed by Britain and Australia, with Ireland punching above its weight in sixth or seventh.

It has begun to look as if Australia has been a little flattered by recent developments and at the same time as if Japan should be higher up and possibly even in second.

Japan

The top Japanese form has worked out well this year, including on the international stage, and Japanese horses took two of the four Group 1s at the Longines-sponsored Hong Kong International meeting last weekend.

Neither Danon Smash (118) nor Normcore (117) is right out of the top drawer by Japanese standards, but they are very smart and proved too good for their rivals in the Hong Kong Sprint and the Hong Kong Cup respectively.

The latter had a below-form Magical back in third in a 10-furlong event in which the emphasis was firmly on speed. Normcore had won at Group 2 level back in Japan and finished fourth to Gran Alegria, Almond Eye and Indy Champ – a really talented trio – in the Group 1 Yasuda Kinen earlier in the year.

Gran Alegria was also paid a compliment by Danon Smash, who had been beaten two lengths by the filly in the Group 1 Sprinters Stakes at Nakayama in October. I now have Gran Alegria on 123, equal to Enable and just one behind Almond Eye. There are many other Japanese horses at a similar level or just below.

Beauty Generation has flown the flag for Hong Kong racing in recent years, but just as his influence has begun to wane so has that of Golden Sixty waxed. The latter won the Hong Kong Mile in scintillating fashion from Southern Legend (Japanese-trained Admire Mars in third, Beauty Generation in fifth) and can now be rated 124, in the top eight in the world on my figures.

Irish horses

The small Irish-trained contingent had earlier claimed the Hong Kong Vase with Mogul, who caught runner-up Exultant on a bit of an off day (he raced freely) but was decidedly impressive all the same.

Mogul has been difficult to weigh up at times, but is a 122-rated horse judged on this and on his Grand Prix de Paris win, and is just about the best three-year-old middle-distance colt in Europe of 2020 on his day, despite four defeats (three of them going left-handed) in the year.