LONDON, UK — City Of Troy (Justify) and Laurel River (Into Mischief), owned by two of racing’s superpowers, Coolmore and Juddmonte, have been jointly crowned Longines World’s Best Racehorse for 2024. 

At a ceremony to mark the Longines Racing Awards at the Savoy Hotel in London on Tuesday it was revealed that they had each gained a rating of 128, marking the first time since 2019 that two horses had shared the top spot in the world rankings. 

The top-rated performance for City Of Troy came in the G1 Juddmonte International Stakes at York, which was the top-rated race of last year, with runner-up Calandagan (Ire) (Gleneagles {Ire}) being awarded a mark of 125. City Of Troy also won last year’s Betfred Derby and G1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes. Calandagan was however only the second-top-rated horse in France as his Francis Graffard stable-mate Goliath (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) was ranked fourth on 126 for his victory in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes.

With Aidan O’Brien, Christy Grassick and Ryan Moore in London to accept the award for the world’s leading turf horse, it was Moore who was handed the microphone first and, while he admitted with a wry grin that he wished he could pass it over to the trainer, he said of City Of Troy, “When he won the Juddmonte it was probably the best performance I’ve ever been involved with on a racehorse.”

Moore added, “There was no end to him. One he got comfortable and once he got building he was relentless.”

O’Brien joined the praise of his former stable star. “He’d have had no problem being a Royal Ascot two-year-old … we were just very lucky to have him.

“He always had a great stride and he was 16.1 [hh],” he said, before pausing for comic effect to add, “and getting bigger.”

The top-rated filly or mare in the world was Via Sistina (GB) (Fastnet Rock {Aus}), a Group 1 winner on two continents who enjoyed a stellar 2024 in the colours of Yulong Investments. Now trained by Chris Waller, she posted her career-high rating of 127 at the age of six with an eight-length win in the G1 Ladbrokes Cox Plate.

It was Laurel River’s record eight-and-a-half length victory in the G1 Dubai World Cup which earned him co-Horse of the Year status and made him the world’s best horse on dirt. 

Now seven, the Juddmonte homebred is trained by Bhupat Seemar and he has been nominated for the G1 Saudi Cup.

Douglas Erskine Crum, CEO of Juddmonte Farms, said, “He was one of the last homebred horses that Prince Khalid decided the mating for, so he is particularly important for us.”

Seemar added that Laurel River, who has not raced since the Dubai World Cup, is set to run at Meydan on Friday “as a springboard for the Saudi Cup”.

In Riyadh the seven-year-old could face Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), who was rated co-fifth in the world rankings on 125 along with G1 Japan Cup winner Do Deuce (Jpn) (Heart’s Cry {Jpn}), Hong Kong champion Romantic Warrior (Ire) (Acclamation {GB}), GI Travers Stakes winner Fierceness (City Of Light) and the aforementioned Calandagan.

Completing the top ten was Charyn (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}), whose mark of 124 was achieved when winning the G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes (sponsored by Qipco).

Just outside that level there was a five-way tie for 11th place between Anmaat (Ire) (Awtaad {Ire}, Economics (GB) (Night Of Thunder {Ire}), Shin Emperor (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), Durezza (Jpn) (Duramente {Jpn}) and Rebel’s Romance (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), who were all given a rating of 123. 

The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Bluestocking (GB) (Camelot {GB}) was the top-rated filly in Europe on 122, which was the same mark awarded to Kyrpios (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who was the top-rated stayer in the world. 

On a rating of 121, Cogburn (Not This Time), I Wish I Win (NZ) (Savabeel {Aus}) and Ka Ying Rising (NZ) (Shamexpress {NZ}) were the co-champion sprinters of 2024, while Bradsell (GB) (Tasleet {GB}) was the leading sprinter in Europe on 118.

Among last year’s Classic generation, the 2,000 Guineas and Irish 2,000 Guineas winners Notable Speech (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) and Rosallion (Ire) (Blue Point {Ire}) were each rated 122, while  Prix du Jockey Club winner Look De Vega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}) was given a mark of 120. Poule d’Essai des Poulains winner Metropolitan (Fr) (Zarak {Fr}) and Oaks heroine Ezeliya (Fr) (Dubawi {Ire}) were both on 115.

In 2024, 273 horses trained in 15 different countries were awarded a rating of 115 or higher.

World’s Top Races in 2024

The ratings for the world’s top 100 Group/Grade 1 races of 2024 were also published on Tuesday in tandem with the Longines World Racing Awards. As mentioned above, the Juddmonte International at York came out on top for the second time, with a 2024 rating of 124.25 earned through the average rating of the first four finishers, City of Troy, Calandagan, Ghostwriter and Bluestocking.

Saratoga’s Travers Stakes, won by Fierceness, was next on 123.75, followed by Randwick’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes (123.00) and Ascot’s King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (122.75). 

The Japan Cup in association with Longines, Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic and Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe were tied on 122.50, while Ireland’s top-rated race, the Royal Bahrain Irish Champion Stakes at Leopardstown, achieved a rating of 122.25.

In the five respective distance categories, the top-rated races were: James Squire T. J. Smith Stakes (121.25, Sprint); Winx Stakes (121.50, Mile); Juddmonte International Stakes (124.25, Intermediate); King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes (122.75, Long); and the Gold Cup (118.50, Extended). On 117.50, the Qatar Prix Vermeille (117.50) was the world’s highest-rated race for fillies and mares, while the top three-year-old race was the Travers Stakes.

A total of 106 races made the list this year owing to a nine-way tie in the rankings for the 98th spot. Of the 11 countries represented, Australia was responsible for 30 of those races, followed by Great Britain (20), Japan (13), France (11), United States (11), Hong Kong SAR, China (8), Germany (4), Ireland (4), United Arab Emirates (3), Saudi Arabia (1), and South Africa (1).

The Longines World’s Best Jockey Award is decided from the list of top races, with riders notching 12 points for a win, six points for second, and four points for third. Australian-based New Zealander James McDonald won the title 2024, having previously been top jockey in 2022. Ryan Moore and Frankie Dettori have each won the title on four occasions.