TEN of the 13 Group 1 races held in Ireland in 2023 were won by domestically-trained horses and, of these Group 1 races, three of them merited inclusion in the Longines World Listing of Top 100 Group 1 races in 2023.

The Irish Champion Stakes came in as joint sixth best race in the world in 2023 with the Tattersalls Gold Cup joint 94th and the Irish 2000 Guineas joint 98th.

Two Irish-trained three-year-old colts appear in the top 10 horses of the World’s Best Racehorse Rankings.

Both Auguste Rodin (125) and Paddington (124) won no less than four Group 1 races each in 2023 while Luxembourg (123) was the top older Irish horse.

For the seventh time this century, both the European champion juvenile colt (City Of Troy 125) and juvenile filly (Opera Singer 118) were trained in Ireland.

Older horses

Luxembourg (123) was champion three-year-old colt in Ireland in 2022 and he graduated to champion Irish older horse in 2023 by achieving the same rating as previously.

His best performance came in defeating Bay Bridge (121) in the Tattersalls Gold Cup at the Curragh back in May and also in finishing second to Auguste Rodin (125) in a red-hot edition of the Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown in September where the best performance by an older mare in Ireland in 2023 was the placed effort by the British-trained Nashwa (120) in third.

Three-year-olds

In winning that race Auguste Rodin (125) achieved the same level of performance as Paddington did in winning the Eclipse Stakes at Sandown in July, both meriting a rating of 124 over 10 furlongs.

But Auguste Rodin was adjudged to have run one pound higher than that level over 12 furlongs in winning the Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita in November.

Paddington was the top three-year-old miler in Ireland and his best performance at that distance was in winning the St James’s Palace Stakes at Royal Ascot in June, running to a mark of 122.

That level of performance was exceeded only by Kingman (125 in 2014) and Churchill (123 in 2017) in the last 10 years.

Auguste Rodin’s performance at Santa Anita was the highest-rated 12-furlong performance by an Irish-trained three-year-old since Sea The Stars (136) back in 2009. He was the eighth Irish-trained three-year-old this century to do the Epsom-Irish Derby double and the first since Harzand (121) back in 2016.

Joint top three-year-old filly Tahiyra (117) was champion European juvenile filly in 2022 and won three Group 1 races in 2023 but her best rating was achieved in defeat to Mawj (118) in the 1000 Guineas at Newmarket in May.

Warm Heart (117) also shared this accolade for winning two Group 1 races but, as with Tahiyra, her best performance was in finishing second to Inspiral (120) in the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf at Santa Anita in November.

Continuous (119) was the top three-year-old European stayer. In winning the St Leger at Doncaster in September, he put up the best performance by a three-year-old stayer since Kew Gardens (120) won the same race back in 2018.

Two-year-olds

City Of Troy (125) was very impressive in winning the Dewhurst Stakes at Newmarket in October and was well clear of compatriots (and fellow Group 1 winners) Bucanero Fuerte (120) and the unbeaten Henry Longfellow (119) in the top European juvenile colts’ listing. His rating of 125 has only been surpassed three times this century – by Pinatubo (128 in 2019), by Johannesburg (126 in 2001) and by New Approach (126 in 2007).

Opera Singer (118) was imperious in winning the Prix Marcel Boussac at ParisLongchamp in October.

Of the 11 Irish-trained champion European juvenile fillies this century, only two of them have been rated higher – Minding (120 in 2015) and Finsceal Beo (119 in 2006).