With the Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival themed as ‘Where Stories Are Told’ it’s Nature Strip whose now World’s Best Racehorse, equal to Life Is Good, the Pegasus World Cup hero.
With both Nature Strip and Life Is Good sitting equal on top of the IFHA World Best Racehorse Ranking on 124 its Nature Strip whose risen from 119 for victory in the Furphy T J Smith Stakes.
In scoring a 3¼ length in this principal sprint at The Championships, Hall of Fame trainer Chris Waller has indicated that Nature Strip may be contesting the King’s Stand Stakes at Royal Ascot.
As the World’s Best Sprinter on 124, and Turf Sprinter at 10 April 2022, Nature Strip was last year’s World Best Sprinter on 124, having been Australian Horse of The Year in 2019-20.
Second on the WBR Turf Sprint rankings on 121, and co-fifth as the world’s best, is Golden Pal having won the Carter Handicap by 4½ lengths and may be facing Nature Strip at Royal Ascot.
In Hong Kong, Golden Sixty joins the 2022 rankings in fourth, being rated 122 for the Chairman’s Trophy, with Country Grammer on 121 for the Dubai World Cup over Hot Rod Charlie 118.
The Saudi Cup winner Emblem Road and Japan’s Shahryar share seventh and a 121 ranking, with Shahryar winning the Dubai Sheema Classic, and Yibir on 119 for being placed second.
However, at The Championships its Think It Over who rose from 118 to 120 and be equal seventh, for a ½ length victory over Zaaki, also 120, on winning the Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
With Zaaki previously winning the All-Star Mile at Caulfield, it’s Godolphin’s 3yo Anamoe on 119 for winning the Rosehill Guineas, equal to Jet Dark from South Africa and Mandaloun the USA.
In fact, four Australian horses appear in the top seven ranked horse, rated 124 to 120, and six ranked in the top 28 being 118 to 124, with the official listing being from 1 January to 10 April.
On 118 are Lord North and Panthalassa for dead-heating in the Dubai Turf, along with A Case For You in winning the Al Quoz Sprint, and Authority and Pyledriver for Sheema Classic placings.
The John O’Shea trained Lost And Running is equal sixteenth on 118 for winning the Southern Cross Stakes, equal to O’Conner for winning the Longines Gran Premio Latinoamericano in Chile.
Also on 118 is Potager in being an upset winner of the Osaka Hai, the 6yo Trueshan for victory in the Barry Hills Further Flight Stakes, plus Man of Promise, Kommetdieding and Waikuku.
News from the IFHA is that Dominic Gardiner-Hill, Head of Handicapping in Britian has succeeded Phil Smith as Co-Chairman of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings Committee.
Nominated by the European Pattern Committee he joins Nigel Gray as Co-Chairman of the Committee, with Phil Smith had served as Co-Chairman of the Longines WBRR Committee since 2014.
“The horse racing industry has an ever-expanding global reach, and is reflected in the output and composition of the Longines WBR Rankings,” said IFHA Chair Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges.
“The IFH Authority has been extremely privileged to have had Phil Smith to co-chair the Committee, and we are equally fortunate that he has been succeeded by Dominic Gardiner-Hill.”
Dominic Gardiner-Hill joined the British Horseracing Authority in 1993, and after a spell as Deputy Head of Handicapping took over as the BHA’s Head of Handicapping in June 2018.
He’s been part of the International Classification and World Rankings Committees since 1996 and a member of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings Executive Committee since 2018.
