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Simon Rowlands reviews this year's global racing action and provides his assessments of the best horses in the world in 2020
LEADER of the pack
LITTLE COULD ANY of us have imagined what was just around the corner as 2019 turned into 2020.
But, while a hitherto littleheard-of disease wreaked havoc on the lives and the economies of the world, it is remarkable how much horseracing carried on as normal; on the track at least.
Nearly all the year’s major events took place, and many of the minor ones too, mostly behind closed doors.
International travel was reduced but by no means stopped. That is testament to the efforts of the governing bodies and the horsemen and horsewomen around the world.
It was a solid, if unspectacular, year on the international ratings front, and one which saw a raft of retirements and injuries before the end.
One of those retirements was that of Ghaiyyath, my idea of the best horse to run anywhere in the year, who won emphatically at Meydan, Newmarket (in a course record time), Sandown and York, before coming unstuck at Leopardstown, for a rating of 129. That is heady stuff, but not era-defining stuff: Frankel rated in the 140s.
British racing managed to stage its Royal Ascot showpiece in its usual slot if with none of the usual pageantry – with Palace Pier in the St James’s Palace Stakes (G1) and Alpine Star in the Coronation Stakes (G1) perhaps the best winners.
Britain also managed to stage the Classics at their usual homes, though on a slight delay for the first four of them.
Kameko was a good 2,000 Guineas winner in a race-record time, but Serpentine (119) won the Derby from substandard opposition by slipping his field mid-race. He was beaten in two subsequent starts.
Love won the 1,000 Guineas and the Oaks in fine style, both backed up by the clock, but disappointingly ran only once after – when winning the Yorkshire Oaks.
Galileo Chrome (118) travelled from Ireland to win an up-to-scratch St Leger.
Enable was beaten by Ghaiyyath in the Eclipse (G1), then won a three-runner King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) and another smallfield affair at Kempton, before disappointing at Longchamp in her bid for a third Arc (G1). She was at her very best in 2017 when rated 128 by me.
Ascot’s British Champions Day took place on soft ground with Addeybb winning the Champion Stakes (G1) and the French-trained The Revenant (119) the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (G1) in which Palace Pier lost a shoe and came third.
FRANCE has been struggling at the top level in recent years, as judged by many of their Group races going to raiders, as well as the declining numbers of French-trained horses in the World’s Best Racehorse Rankings each year.
But this year the nation kept the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) at home through Sottsass, who accounted for In Swoop and Persian King (120).
Persian King had earlier seemed fortunate to defeat the poorly ridden Pinatubo in the Prix du Moulin (G1), the latter having earlier won the Prix Jean Prat (G1) at Deauville.
Deauville was the venue of one of the European races of the season, when Palace Pier beat Alpine Star in the Prix Jacques le Marois (G1).
Irish-trained horses performed well through the year without a clear superstar in their ranks.
It was Magical (120) who took the scalp of Ghaiyyath in a gruelling Irish Champion Stakes (G1), and Tarnawa (121) who beat first Alpine Star in the Prix de l’Opera (G1) and then Magical in the Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1)at Keeneland.
Siskin (118) in the Irish 2,000 Guineas (G1) was the pick of the Irish Classic winners.
The US managed to stage its Triple Crown, if in a different order to usual.
There seemed to be little between the winners of the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes (Tiz The Law), Kentucky Derby (G1) (Authentic, with Tiz The Law second) and Preakness Stakes (G1) – the 120-rated Swiss Skydiver the winner, with Authentic in second.
But Authentic thereafter improved to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), a race in which Maximum Security – earlier winner of the Saudi Cup and Pacific Classic – was only fifth.
That, from Authentic, might have been enough for a horse to be the best three-year-old in the world, but the colt has plenty of competition, including from stable-mate Gamine.
That filly’s authoritative win at the Breeders’ Cup came in the Filly & Mare Sprint (G1). She previously won the Acorn Stakes (G1) and the Test Stakes (G1) in phenomenal style and fast times.
Another contender is Contrail, winner of the Japanese Triple Crown and impressive in the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby), though, at the time of writing, yet to race against his elders.
Daring Tact (115) won the Japanese equivalent of the 1,000 Guineas and Oaks, without approaching the level of older females Almond Eye – she was especially impressive in winning May’s Victoria Mile (G1) at Tokyo – and Chrono Genesis, who ran away with the Takarazuka Kinen (G1) in April.
A number of Australia’s races at beyond a mile went to raiders, including Twilight Payment (116) in the Melbourne Cup (G1), Sir Dragonet (120) in the Cox Plate (G1), and Addeybb in the Ranvet Stakes and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1), but it remains a country packed with elite sprinters.
The Group 1 Everest winner Classique Legend and runner-up Bivouac, who won the Sprint Classic (G1) in November, and Nature Strip, second in Sprint Cup but won the T J Smith Stakes (G1) in April, are all world-class on their day but were not the most consistent.
“Best juvenile race of the year did not go to the best horse”
IT IS FAIR to say that the two-year-old picture could have been clearer internationally.
The best race of the year was probably the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) at Keeneland in November, but the race did not necessarily go to the best colt.
Essential Quality swooped late to deny Hot Rod Charlie and Keepmeinmind – thus maintaining an unbeaten record that had also included an emphatic defeat of Keepmeinmind in the Futurity on the same course – but Jackie’s Warrior in fourth was the main victim of a race run at a stronger-than-ideal pace.
Jackie’s Warrior went off odds-on and had previously been unbeaten in four starts, including by a wide margin in the Champagne Stakes (G1). On balance, that seems marginally the best piece of form by a juvenile anywhere in 2020.
Fire At Will was a surprise but apparently deserving winner of the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf by 3l from 112-rated Battleground, the tricky horse in this being Sealiway, who finished fifth despite things not entirely going his way.
Sealiway had previously been a most impressive 8l winner, in a good time but on much more testing ground, in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère (G1) on Arc weekend. It may be that the conditions he requires to run this well are rather narrow, but that win by Sealiway looks just about best by a juvenile in Europe as a one-off.
It remains to be seen whether the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) was definitive with 117-rated Princess Noor disappointing in fifth. But the race winner Vequist had looked very good in the Spinaway Stakes (G1), also, and turned the tables readily on 117-rated Dayoutoftheoffice from their meeting in the Frizette Stakes (G1).
Aunt Pearl (rated 117) emerged as the best in her division by capturing the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) from 111-rated Irish raiders Mother Earth and Miss Amulet.
Golden Pal won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Sprint (G1) by just threequarters of a length from 112-rated Cowan, but was much better than that for a long way and looks a sprinter of some standing for 2021.
There was a tendency for the best European juvenile colts to beat each other in turn, but St Mark’s Basilica’s defeat of Wembley and 117-rated Thunder Moon, who had beaten them both in the National Stakes previously, in the Dewhurst Stakes (G1) probably deserves to come out best bar, perhaps, Sealiway.
The British-trained colts Chindit (Champagne Stakes (G2) winner) and Supremacy (Middle Park Stakes (G1) winner) are just outside the top 10, on 117, as is Irish-trained Mac Swiney, winner of the Futurity Stakes (G1) at Doncaster.
The Irish-trained fillies Pretty Gorgeous and Shale traded blows ending up on two wins apiece, but the former can be considered marginally the better (rating of 115 to 111) after her Fillies’ Mile (G1) win over 114-rated Indigo Girl.
That last-named rating was also achieved in France by Plainchant and by the US-trained Campanelle, the Queen Mary Stakes (G2) winner at Royal Ascot, among fillies.
There are, of course, numerous promising, if lower-profile, youngsters in stables around the world, perhaps none more so than 113-rated High Definition, winner of both his starts in Ireland and a clear favourite for the 2021 Derby at Epsom.
Jackie’s Warrior: rated the leading two-year-old in the world this year
