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| Sumita Pawar |
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This week, it's not just the connections of the horses named as finalists for Eclipse Awards, but also the finalists in the human categories who are feeling a bit nervous.
Prior to the announcement of North America's 2023 champions on January 25 during an awards dinner in South Florida, the global accolades for the world's best horse and race of 2023 will be revealed at a luncheon ceremony in London. Organized by Longines and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, the World's Best Racehorse Awards winners will be announced during a ceremony starting around 8:10 a.m. ET.
The Longines World's Best Horse ratings through Nov. 5, 2023.
Rank Horse Rating Trained
The World's Best Racehorse Awards is determined by handicapper ratings, and while they do not announce finalists, they provide updates to the ratings throughout the year. As of 5th Nov, it appears that the winner will most likely come from the top five listed contenders.
Two horses, Big Rock and Hukum, are tied for fourth with ratings of 127 through 5th Nov. Big Rock, based in France, finished second in the Gr.1 Prix du Jockey Club, but bounced back to win the one-mile Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes 21st Oct at Ascot. Hukum, bred by Shadwell Estate, won a group one race for the second season in a row at the King George VI and Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes on 29th July at Ascot.
Mostahdaf and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Ace Impact are tied for second in the ratings through 5th Nov. at 128. Mostahdaf, another Shadwell homebred, won back-to-back Group one races in the Prince of Wales's Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Juddmonte International at York. Ace Impact won all six of his races, including the Prix du Jockey Club and the Arc.
Equinox, a Japan-bred and based horse, remains the highest-rated horse through 5th Nov with a rating of 129. He won all four of his starts, including the Dubai Sheema Classic and the Japan Cup.
White Abarrio, the top-rated North American-based horse through 5th Nov, has a rating of 123, while Cody's Wish, the Gr.1 Metropolitan Handicap winner, has a rating of 122.
The Longines World Racing Awards will be held at The Savoy in London, and the ceremony will be livestreamed on various digital platforms, including the social media accounts of Longines and the IFHA. The IFHA will release its final ratings of 100 horses, the Top 100 group/group one races, and the rankings for all horses rated 115 or higher around the world on the day of the ceremony. The full list and more information on the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings will be available on the IFHA website.