Knicks Go named Longines World's Best Racehorse, Nature Strip top sprinter

Cover image courtesy of Eclipse Sportswire

The awards, presented from the National Horse Racing Museum saw the G1 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – won last year by Torquator Tasso (Ger) (Adlerflug {Ger}) - announced as the Longines World's Best Horse Race of 2021, and Ryan Moore was celebrated as the Longines World's Best Jockey.

Knicks Go earned a rating of 129 for his Classic win at Del Mar, two clear of his closest rivals, Adayar (GB) (Frankel {GB}), St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}) and Mishriff (Ire) (Make Believe {GB}), who all recorded peak performances of 127.

Contrail (Jpn) (Deep Impact {Jpn}) flew the flag for Japan last year, returning from his Triple Crown-winning campaign of 2020 to scoop the G1 Japan Cup, earning a rating of 126, while four horses drew ratings performances of 125, including the leading Australian-bred horse, Hong Kong-based Golden Sixty (Medaglia D'Oro {USA}), who earned that rating for his successful defence of his G1 Hong Kong Mile in December.

Nature Strip, who earned his top rating of 124 in The Everest, but also won three other Group 1 races in 2021, was equal 10th overall, and the equal highest rated sprinter with dirt sprinter Flightline (USA) (Tapit {USA}).

Reigning Australian Racehorse of the Year and G1 Melbourne Cup winner Verry Elleegant (NZ) (Zed {NZ}) was rated 123, equal top in the world in the extreme distance category of 2700 metres-plus.

That rating also ensured that the 10-time Group 1 winner was rated the highest of any filly or mare in the world in 2021.

Incentivise (Shamus Award) was rated 122 for his G1 Caulfield Cup win, while Eduardo (Host {Chi}) received two ratings of 121 throughout the year. Also on 121 were Australian-trained horses Masked Crusader (Toronado {Ire}) and Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}).

G1 Cox Plate winner State Of Rest (Ire) (Starspangledbanner) received a rating of 120, while runner-up Anamoe (Street Boss {USA}) was given 119 for his brave performance. That was the same rating as All-Star Mile winner Mugatoo (Ire) (Henrythenavigator {USA}). The G1 Coolmore Stud S. win of Home Affairs (I Am Invincible) was rated 118.

The highest ranking New Zealand-trained horse was Probabeel (NZ) (Savabeel) on 117, while her Jamie Richards-trained stablemate Avantage (Fastnet Rock) and Melody Belle (NZ) (Commands) each achieved a top rating of 116.

There were 25 races in Australia ranked in the top 100 Group 1 races in the world in 2021, more than any other country. The G1 Cox Plate and G1 Queen Elizabeth S. were ranked the best, in equal 15th overall, with a rating of 120.75.

The G1 TJ Smith S. and G1 Ranvet S. were just behind on 120.50. The G1 Melbourne Cup was rated equal 67th on 117, while The Everest wasn't classified as it is not yet a Group 1 race.

One New Zealand race made it into the Top 100, the G1 Bonecrusher New Zealand S.

Knicks on top

Knicks Go is widely expected to be named the US Horse of the Year at the Eclipse Awards on February 10 off a campaign that also included victories in the G1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational S., the G2 Whitney S., the G3 Cornhusker H. and the G3 Lukas Classic S. Knicks Go, who is trained by Brad Cox and owned by the Korea Racing Authority, is set to defend his title in the Pegasus this weekend before heading to stud at Taylor Made Farm in Kentucky.

“He's got a ton of class and he's a very intelligent horse,” said trainer Brad Cox during the virtual ceremony. “He's been at this for a few years now. Some of the things that set Knicks Go apart from other very good horses is definitely his ability to shut off things mentally. He's aggressive in training, but when he's finished training he takes a deep breath and relaxes. He's gotten better as he's gotten older mentally and I think that's one thing that really benefitted him this past season.

“Going into the Classic we had a lot of confidence in him. He was training really well and he obviously had a fantastic start to the season. We had a little bit of a setback with a race in New York, the (G1) Met (when fourth), but then he really started capping off a nice string of races.

“Obviously his second half of the year was fantastic with big wins at Saratoga and Churchill, and ultimately the Breeders' Cup Classic was the race that put him in a position to become the top-rated horse in the world.”

“He had a fantastic year and this was the cherry on the top with regards to what he could accomplish in 2021. It's a very prestigious honour to be mentioned along with the past recipients of this award, champions throughout the world, and to be at the top is just a true honour and something we're very proud of.”

A trio of European-trained runners were joint-second with ratings of 127. Godolphin's G1 Derby winner Adayar earned that mark with his win over older horses in the G1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S.-the Charlie Appleby-trained colt was the first 3-year-old to record the Derby/King George double since his grandsire Galileo (Ire) 20 years earlier.

“It was a great performance from a great horse, and the horse is very straightforward to ride,” said jockey William Buick. “He won at Epsom, he won the King George against older horses. He's won in big fields, small fields, slow ground, faster ground, so he's very versatile. He is everything a good horse should be.”

Adayar, who stays in training at four, was the joint highest-rated 3-year-old in the world last year with the Coolmore partners' St Mark's Basilica, who went unbeaten in four starts on the season encompassing the French Classic double of the G1 Poule d'Essai des Poulains and the G1 Prix du Jockey Club, the G1 Coral Eclipse S. and the G1 Irish Champion S. to be named Europe's Horse of the Year and Champion 3-Year-Old colt. St Mark's Basilica, who covers his first book at Coolmore Ireland this season, earned his rating of 127 in the Coral-Eclipse.

“St Mark's Basilica was a tremendous horse,” said jockey Ryan Moore. “He'd relax so well in his races and he'd just do whatever you wanted him to do; whatever you asked him to do, he'd do it straight away. So he was very unique, and the turn of foot was something exceptional. He was an excellent racehorse.”

Adayar and St Mark's Basilica were joined at 127 by Mishriff, who compiled an intercontinental Group 1 campaign. The 2020 G1 Prix du Jockey Club winner won the Saudi Cup before it achieved Group 1 status, as well as the G1 Dubai Sheema Classic in the Gulf region. He returned to Europe to hit the board behind St Mark's Basilica and Adayar in the Coral-Eclipse and the King George before romping by 6l in the G1 Juddmonte International, where he earned a rating of 127. Mishriff is preparing to defend his Saudi Cup title next month.

Moore receives award

Ryan Moore was announced in December as the Longines World's Best Jockey of 2021, an award decided based on performance in the 100 highest-rated Group and Grade 1 races in the world. Moore, who was also the world's best jockey in 2014 and 2016, said, “I've always felt throughout my time riding that racing was a global sport and the most important thing was to be competitive all around the world, then you know where you are.

“You only win these awards because of the horses you're riding and I'm very lucky I get to ride some of the best horses for some of the best owners all around the world. You can't do anything without the horse, so it's only because of them.”

Moore finished on 112 points, eight ahead of Buick, with James McDonald third on 96 points.