RACING fans mourned the decision taken by Timeform in 2020 to cease publication of their Racehorses and Chasers & Hurdlers annuals.

Sieglinde McGee, who has contributed to The Irish Field for over 30 years, stepped in to fill some of the gap by producing her own Best Racehorses annuals. Some who have seen the new publication already say it does that; some say it’s even better.

Best Racehorses of 2021 runs to 744 pages and has essays on 220 horses, each a winner at Group 1, Group 2 or Group 3 level during the year.

They were all trained in Ireland or Britain and/or won at those levels in either of those two countries.

In addition to a discussion of their racing careers, there is an examination of their pedigrees, with a pedigree chart included for each one.

There is also a comprehensive set of tables and indices at the back of the book, listing all the winners by sire, grandsire, dam, broodmare sire, breeder, owner, trainer, month of birth, date of earliest win, and other valuable categories, plus a catalogue of all the races whose winners are reviewed.

This is the most comprehensive review of the European flat season available, produced by a very experienced racing and pedigrees writer who has also produced Best Racehorses of 2020, European Group 1 Winners of 2019, European Group 1 Winners of 2018, and other titles.

Best Racehorses of 2021 by Sieglinde McGee can be ordered from Amazon as a print-on-demand paperback.

Running to 744 pages, it has a recommended retail price of £35 but was on offer at £26.27 this week and may be offered at a promotional price at Amazon’s discretion occasionally. Search on Amazon for ‘Best Racehorses 2021’.