+ A
A -
Agencies
London
The Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, Europe's richest race with a purse of five million euros ($6.1 million), claimed the title of Longines World's Best Horse Race.
The Paris classic has been staged at Chantilly for the last two years while its traditional home Longchamp underwent a €130 million ($145 million) revamp.
In association with the Longines World's Best Racehorse and Longines World's Best Horse Race Ceremony, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities declared the top 100 Group 1 and Grade 1 races, along with race horses, at a lavish awards ceremony at Claridge's Hotel on Tuesday.
Arrogate may have retired from racing, but that hasn't stopped him scooping up more silverware.The American colt was named as the Longines World's Best Racehorse for a second year in a row.
The Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe achieved a rating of 126.25. Held at Chantilly, the Arc was won by European Horse of the Year Enable, while Cloth of Stars, Ulysses, and Order of St George rounded out the top four.
The remaining top 10 rated races are the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Sponsored by QIPCO (124.75), Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (124.00), Breeders'Cup Classic (123.75), China Horse Club George Ryder Stakes (122.75), Longines Queen Elizabeth Stakes (122.00), Juddmonte International Stakes (121.75), Prince of Wales's Stakes (121.75), QIPCO Champion Stakes (121.75), Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (121.50), and Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (121.50).
The top rated races in the 5 respective distance categories are the Coolmore Nunthorpe Stakes (120.00-Sprint), China Horse Club George Ryder Stakes (122.75-Mile), Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (124.00-Intermediate), Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (126.25-Long), and Tenno Sho (Spring) (121.25-Extended).
The highest rated race for fillies and mares is the Coolmore Fastnet Rock Matron Stakes (118.25), while the top 3-year-old race in the world is the Dubai Duty Free Irish Derby (121.50).
Eleven countries comprise this year's list, representing the foremost racing events throughout the world across 39 different racecourses. Great Britain leads all countries with 24 total races, followed by Australia (22), United States (15), Japan (12), Hong Kong (9), France (6), Ireland (4), South Africa (3), United Arab Emirates (3), Germany (2), and Canada (1). Because of a three-way tie for the 99th spot on the list of Top 100 G1 races, the 2017 edition consists of 101 races.
The Bob Baffert-trained star Arrogate won Flat racing's highest honour ahead of Australian mare Winx, which is on a 22-race winning streak.
Arrogate, owned by the Juddmonte Farms operation, backed up his victory in the 2016 Breeders'Cup Classic by winning the record $7 million first prize in the inaugural Pegasus World Cup in January 2017, beating arch-rival California Chrome for the second straight race in their final duel.
He then went on to clinch the Dubai World Cup in March, completing a run of seven straight wins and becoming the highest-earning racehorse ever.
The Mike Smith-ridden Arrogate was fourth and second in its next two starts before finishing its career with a joint fifth alongside Gunnevera in November's Breeders'Cup Classic behind winner Gun Runner.
Arrogate has now taken up residence at Juddmonte Farms'stud in Kentucky where his career as a stallion will begin in February.
Winx, which was third in the awards last year, won nine times in 2017 and is Australia's highest earning horse ever.
Joint third in the this year's awards were Gun Runner and British colt Cracksman, winner of October's Champions Stakes.
The rankings are determined by international handicappers in relation to the performance of horses in elite races across the globe.
