EQUINOX (135) has topped the Longines World Best Racehorse Rankings listing for 2023 by the largest margin (7lb) since the great Frankel (140) who was 9lb clear in 2012.
His rating of 135 equalled that of Baaeed in 2022 and has only been surpassed by Sea The Stars (136) and Frankel among turf horses this century.
Rated 126 as a progressive and improving three-year-old in 2022, Equinox was unbeaten in four Group 1 races in 2023, putting up his best performance in the Japan Cup in late November on his last career start. He becomes the second Japanese-trained horse to top the World Rankings (after Just A Way (130) in 2014) and the highest-rated Japanese-trained horse since their accession to the International Classifications back in 1996, just ahead of El Condor Pasa (134) back in 1999.
Ace Impact (128) was the second highest-rated horse and the top turf three-year-old in 2023. Unbeaten throughout the season, his career culminated in his impressive success in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in October, becoming the first French-trained three-year-old colt to win the race since Rail Link (127) back in 2006.
His rating of 128 achieved there has been exceeded only by Golden Horn (130 in 2015) and his own sire Cracksman (130 in 2017) among three-year-old turf colts since Frankel’s reign.
Ace Impact’s rating of 128 was emulated by top European older horse Mostahdaf. This five-year-old horse won two Group 1 races with his best performance (fully 12lb higher than his 2022 peak) taking place at Royal Ascot in June in the Prince of Wales’s Stakes.
This performance was rated slightly better than two fellow British-trained older horses who fought out the finish of the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot in July, namely Hukum (127) and Westover (126), who were 5lb and 6lb higher respectively than their 2022 marks.
The top turf miler of 2023 was also trained in France. Big Rock (127) was scintillating on soft ground in winning the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot in October and his level of achievement there has only been emulated by Kingman (127) among three-year-old turf milers since Frankel (136) in 2011.
Top older miler was the evergreen eight-year-old Hong Kong gelding Golden Sixty (126). Previously rated 124,125 and 124 in the previous three years, his performance in winning the Hong Kong Mile in Sha Tin in December has been acknowledged as a career-best and second only, among Hong Kong horses, to Beauty Generation (127), back in 2018 and 2019.
The top turf three-year-old filly was the Japanese-trained Liberty Island (121) who achieved her rating in winning the Japanese Oaks back in May before finishing second to Equinox in the Japan Cup later in the year.
She is only the second three-year-old Japanese-trained filly to top the female listing after Almond Eye (124) back in 2018. Her mark of 121 was emulated by top older turf mare Emily Upjohn (121) whose best performance was in winning the Coronation Cup at Epsom in June.
She topped the older mare rankings just ahead of her stablemates Nashwa (120) and Inspiral (120).
The joint top dirt horses in 2023 were both trained in the UnIted States – five-year-old colt Cody’s Wish (124) and four-year-old colt White Abarrio.
While both horses won at the Breeders’ Cup, their best performances were adjudged to have taken place earlier in the season, Cody’s Wish in winning the Met Mile in Belmont in June and White Abarrio in winning the Whitney Stakes at Saratoga back in August.