The inaugural World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings Conference (WTRRC) took place in Hong Kong in December 2004. The Conference was held under the auspices of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), and superseded the International Classifications Conference, which had been held annually since 1977 under the direction of the European Pattern Committee.

The IFHA World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings are the official assessment of the top performers. In 1977, France, Great Britain and Ireland published the first internationally agreed assessment of racing merit on behalf of the European Pattern Committee under the banner of the International Classifications. In 1985, Germany and Italy joined the system, to be followed by North America (both Canada and the United States) and Japan in the mid 1990s. The International Classifications continued to expand, with more and more countries becoming involved. During 2003, responsibility for the Classifications was transferred from the European Pattern Committee to the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, and the initial WTRR Conference, held in Hong Kong in December 2004, was attended by delegates from Argentina, Australia, Hong Kong, Macau, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, in addition to those from the eight countries who were first involved.

The World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings (WTRR) will be published twice a year, after each WTRR Conference, and will reflect the overall ability of those horses included. To merit inclusion, a horse must be assessed at a rating of 115 or higher by the Conference on the horse’s performances during the period under review. The January publication will include the end of season assessments of horses aged three years old and upwards which have either raced in, or been trained in, countries whose racing season runs from 1st January to 31st December, while the August edition will incorporate those horses which have raced in or been trained in countries who race from 1st August to 31st July (1st July to 30th June in South America).

You will find the Rankings further on our website (see link on home page), along with tables showing the top 10 horses in individual countries and the winners of Group / Grade 1 races, together with their race ratings.

In addition, a list of the top 50 horses will be published five times each year to give updates on the leading performers worldwide. The 2004 Conference compiled the first edition of the WTRR Top 50 World’s Leading Horses, including horses which had raced anywhere in the world in 2004. These listings will be produced in January (following the December WTRR Conference), April (following the Dubai World Cup meeting), August (following the July WTRR Conference), October (following the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe meeting) and November (following the Breeders’ Cup meeting). These assessments will also appear on the IFHA website. To merit inclusion, a horse must have achieved its rating within the previous six months.