AMERICAN racing hasn’t been enjoying the best of times in recent years, but it got just what it needed in 2015 in the shape of the superstar three-year-old American Pharoah. As well as his rating of 134 being sufficient to see him crowned World Champion Three-Year-Old, it was enough to see him crowned the outright World Champion Racehorse.

The Triple Crown series is one of the few events that transcends the sport of horse racing in America and American Pharoah really captured the public imagination in becoming the first horse since Affirmed in 1978 to successfully complete it.

As remarkable as it was for him to achieve what had proven to be one of the most elusive feats in sport, he went on to advance his form in winning both the Haskell Invitational Stakes at Monmouth Park and even more so when running out the spectacular six and a half lengths winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic. While he met with an unfortunate defeat in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga in between those wins, it took nothing away from his season or his legacy.

His rating of 134 was achieved in his final start in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and it is the highest rating achieved by a World Champion Three-Year-Old since Frankel in 2011 (136) and well in excess of the average ratings achieved by the last 10 champions in this division of 129.4. Indeed, only Frankel and Sea The Stars have achieved higher ratings than him as three-year-olds in that period.

American Pharoah’s completion of the Triple Crown ensured his place in history and pop culture, but his rating confirms that there is real substance to his achievements. He retired to Ashford Stud and his progeny will attract a level of public attention that is only reserved for a select few.

EUROPEAN CHAMPION

With the European three-year-old crop of 2014 having been a well below average bunch as two-year-olds, hopes for them in 2015 were reserved at best. However, a number of horses that were unexposed as juveniles really stepped up to the mark in 2015, most notably the John Gosden-trained Golden Horn (130) who was crowned European Champion Three-Year-Old. His rating is above the average rating of the last 10 European Champion Three-Year-Olds of 129.2.

With just a maiden win at Nottingham to his name as a juvenile, albeit one in which he beat the subsequent Group 2 winner Storm The Stars (117), he was under most people’s radars at the start of the 2015 campaign. He quickly remedied that, with his win in the Dante Stakes propelling him to favouritism for the Derby at Epsom. He duly ran out the impressive winner of the Derby and backed it up by winning the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown.

A filly Arabian Queen (116) inflicted a shock defeat on him in the Juddmonte International at York, but that was soon put right with a dramatic victory in the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown. Even better followed with him running out the impressive winner of the Prix d’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp. While his career was closed out by another defeat by a filly in the shape of Found (120) in the Breeders’ Cup Turf, that won’t take away from his previous achievements or his legacy. He has retired to Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket.

Order of St George

It may surprise some that the two-time classic winner Gleneagles (122) was not the highest rated three-year-old trained by Aidan O’Brien in 2015. That honour goes to Order Of St George (124) who produced an excellent performance to win the Irish St Leger by no less than 11 lengths. Still quite unexposed, he rates as an exciting four-year-old prospect for 2016. The aforementioned Gleneagles won’t be back in 2016, as his wins in the Newmarket and Irish 2000 Guineas as well as the St James’s Palace Stakes, coupled with two Group 1 races that he finished first past the post in as a juvenile were enough to justify his retirement to Coolmore Stud.

2015 was an important year for three-year-old sprinters with the creation of the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot and it was fitting that the first winner of it, the Charles Hills-trained Muhaarar (123), went on to be crowned the World Champion Three-Year-Old Sprinter.

After Royal Ascot he went on to take on the older horses and won the July Cup at Newmarket, the Prix Maurice De Gheest at Deauville and the Qipco British Champions Sprint Stakes at Ascot, with his end of season rating being the joint-best rating (with Sepoy) achieved by a three-year-old sprinter anywhere in the world in the last 10 years. He has retired to the Nunnery Stud for the 2016 breeding season. In terms of the title of World Champion Three-Year-Old Filly, there was a stand-out performer in the shape of the aforementioned Found (120) who finished 3lb clear of her nearest pursuer. Having finished second in no less than four Group 1 races earlier in the season, her defeat of Golden Horn in the Breeders’ Cup Turf was well deserved. Mind, her rating is well below the average rating of 124.2 achieved by such champions and the lowest since Alexandrova, Mandesha and Wait A While shared the title in 2006 with ratings of 118.