US Triple crown winner American Pharoah was yesterday officially declared the best racehorse of 2015 while the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe was rated the top race in the world.
As the first to land the coveted Triple Crown of Kentucky Derby-Preakness-Belmont Stakes in 37 years American Pharoah’s award was fully justified.
The panel of international handicappers whose job it is to hand out the end-of-term marks gave the Bob Baffert-trained superstar a rating of 134.
The only American thoroughbred who has bettered that figure in recent seasons is 136-rated Cigar.
In American Pharoah’s slipstream, on a rating of 130, came Golden Horn, the John Gosden-trained Epsom Derby and Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner.
The handicappers adjudged the Arc as the number one race in in the world, based on the quality of the first four horses home over the past three seasons.
“To be the winner of the Longines World’s Best Horse Race is a great reward for everyone involved in the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, with our partner, the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club. Treve’s attempt at winning the Arc three times will remain etched in the memories. The high level of the race was also demonstrated by the presence of Treve and Golden Horn,” France Galop president Edouard de Rothschild said.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic, won last November by American Pharoah, was next best, with York’s International Stakes in third.
Frankie Dettori rode Golden Horn to victory in the 2015 Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp racetrack in Paris.
