What Longines World’s Best Racehorse Ranking will Nature Strip have now on winning The TAB Everest at Royal Randwick, and being the 124 rated leading Worlds’ Best Turf Sprinter.
Just being released, the official listing of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse for October ranks all 3YO’s and Upwards who have raced between 1st January and 10th October this year.
In a ‘race of champions’ it was Nature Strip and champion jockey James McDonald who made-it-all from barrier rise in scoring by a half-head from the fast-finishing Masked Crusader.
In riding a superbly judged race, James McDonald had Nature Strip leading comfortably by a length at the ‘half-mile, before sprinting away on mounting the famous ‘Randwick rise.’
Being his third attempt in The $15m Everest, and unplaced last year, Nature Strip made it a truly run sprint winning in 1-09.11 for the 1200m on a Soft 5 track, and now has $14.9m in stakes.
In being the $3.70 race favorite with Sportsbet, he was coming off a second to Eduardo in The Shorts, having previously won the Concorde Stakes for Hall of Fame trainer Chris Waller.
In also being The Everest slot holder, Chris Waller had Nature Strip crowned Australian Champion Sprinter for the consecutive year, having been Australian Racehorse of The Year in 2019-20.
What now Nature Strip in the $2m Darley Sprint Classic at Flemington, in his quest as Longines World’s Best Turf Sprinter, having been second to Aussie’s Bivouac and Classicque Legend in 2020.
Can the 5yo gelded son of sprinting sire Nicconi, go better in 2022, having been a $90,000 pass-in at the 2016 Premier Yearling Sale, being from the Gr3 winning Desert Sun mare Strikeline.
Or, can Nature Strip still be Australia’s first World’s Best Racehorse with his Everest rating having him higher of the 127 currently allotted to leader’s Adayar, Mishriff and St Mark’s Basilica.
What points, if any, will Mishriff receive in being fourth in the Champion Stakes on British Champions Day, having won the Juddmonte International, Saudi Cup and Dubai Sheema Classic this year.
Epsom Derby and King George IV and Queen Elizabeth Stakes hero Adayar is seeking Champion 3YO honours, while duel French Classic winner St Mark’s Basilica has retired to Coolmore Ireland.
The John and Thady Gosden trained 4yo Palace Pier sits equal fourth on 125, but will his rating change in having been beaten a neck by Baaeed in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes at Ascot.
The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe victor Torquator Tasso is the biggest mover in this 8th edition of this 2021 Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, and sits alongside Palace Pier on 125.
Racing in the silks of his nation Germany, Torquator Tasso was most trilling Arc in defeating the HH Aga Khan’s Tarnawa by ¾ length to rise to a 125 rating, with Hurricane Lane third on 123.
Torquator Tasso came into the Arc having won the 149th Grosser Preis von Baden by a length in September and earlier the Grosser Hansa-Preis by 4½ lengths for trainer Marcel Weiss.
Equal to Nature Strip on 125 is the Korean owned Knicks Go, who has already made headlines with his on-pace, two-turn dirt racing style leading him into the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
In running his opposition off-their-legs from barrier rise, to out of the first turn, the Brad Cox trained Knicks Go won last year’s BC Dirt Mile, having run second in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile.
The Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit is now rated 123 in defeating his elders by 5 lengths in the Awesome Again Stakes, while Hot Rod Charlie is 121 having won the Pennsylvania Derby.
In scoring by 2¼ lengths over Midnight Bourbon on 120, Hot Rod Charlie was disqualified from his victory in the Haskell Stakes for interference, making Mandaloun, 120, the official winner.
Following the Haskell, Midnight Bourbon finished second by a neck to Essential Quality, 122, in the Travers Stakes, and it’s all decided at the 2021 Breeder’s Cup World Championships.