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.