THE big story of this year’s Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings is unquestionably the Bob Baffert-trained American Pharoah (134). His rampage through the Triple Crown series in which he became the first horse to successfully complete it since Affirmed in 1978 captured America’s imagination and he carried that brilliance through the remainder of the season, putting up even bigger performances in the Haskell Invitational Stakes at Monmouth Park and the Breeders’ Cup Classic. His legacy will live on for as long as horses are raced in America and his World Champion-winning rating puts him up there as the highest-rated horse that has been trained in America in the last decade.

His rating of 134 is an above-average rating for a World Champion, with the average over the previous 10 years having been 132.6. However, while his rating is important to assess his overall merit and place his ability in a historical context, what he has done for American racing goes far beyond anything that can be recorded in numbers.

American Pharoah was not the only American-trained horse to make a serious impression in the World Rankings, as despite having his season prematurely halted by injury, Shared Belief (126) did enough in winning the Santa Anita Handicap in March to secure joint-third position in the World Rankings and is the top older horse. Unfortunately, his story is one of what might have been, as while he was on his way back from a fractured hip that he suffered in a race in April, he was badly struck down by colic in December and lost his life.

Horses based in Asia continue to make a serious impression on the world stage and the John Moore-trained Able Friend (125) proved to be the pick of them in 2015. While his Royal Ascot adventure ended in disappointment, he enjoyed an excellent 2015 otherwise, with his performances in winning the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup at Sha Tin in March and in carrying top weight to win the Premier Bowl (Group 2 Handicap) at Sha Tin in October being the pick of his efforts in rating terms.

2014 illustrated how powerful the Japanese are becoming in the racing world with the two highest-rated horses in the world being trained there and while they couldn’t repeat that success in 2015, they did produce a top-class individual in A Shin Hikari (123). The son of Deep Impact burst onto the international scene in December when defying his 25/1 price to win the Hong Kong Cup with a spectacular display of front-running which left familiar names such as Blazing Speed (121), Designs On Rome (123) and Military Attack (120) trailing in his wake.

It perhaps wasn’t the strongest of years for racing in Australia, with three horses sharing the title of the highest-rated horse trained in Australia in the shape of Chautauqua and Lankan Rupee securing that rating in sprints, whilst the filly Winx did so with an impressive track-record-setting victory in the Cox Plate. With her having returned to training this year, if there is a potential superstar in Australian racing right now, she might well be it.

Back on the European scene, the remarkable Cirrus Des Aigles (121) continues to do himself and his connections proud, winning the seventh Group 1 of his career at the age of nine in the Prix Ganay at Longchamp in May. How long more he can go on for is anyone’s guess, but French racing looks to have another star gelding waiting in the wings in the shape of Solow (125). The son of Singspiel has looked a different horse since being dropped in trip and went through 2015 unbeaten in six starts including a remarkable five Group 1 races. He looks set to be a force at the highest level for many seasons to come.

In terms of the fillies, for the third year in succession it was the Criquette Head-Maarek-trained Treve (126) that was crowned World Champion Filly. She now joins Black Caviar, who she shared the title with in 2013, as the only three-time winners of that title. While she couldn’t achieve her main goal of becoming the first horse to win the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe on three occasions, she did show that she retained most of her ability by producing a stunning performance to win the Prix Vermeille at Longchamp by six lengths. She has since been retired to the breeding paddocks and will be remembered as one of the finest race mares in recent memory, with her spectacular first win in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe being sure to live long in the memory.