World Thoroughbred Rankings for 2010

The World Thoroughbred Rankings for 2010 are out and as ever the debate as to the ratings and whether correct or not is up and running in pubs the length and breadth of this green and pleasant land. It is one of my favourite times of the year, remembering some of the best performances of last season and telling anyone who cares to listen that so and so is rated too low and thingymabob too high. The rankings of course are a 'peak performance' system and not a 'handicapping' system showing the best figure obtained by a horse in the season and not a reflection of consistency or a measure of what may have been achieved in different circumstances.
There can be little argument concerning the rating of Harbinger with his King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes win earning the colt one of the highest ratings in recent years. A rating of 135 puts him 1lb behind the rating allocated to the great Sea The Stars in 2009 and 6lb off of the all time top rating of 141 gained by Dancing Brave. This of course is a case in point of a 'one off' wonderful performance as due to injury the colt never had the chance to prove he could do it again. Other notable Older Horses include Dirt performers from the US Blame on 129 and Quality Road on 128 followed by Japanese trained Nakayama Festa on 127 and Rip Van Winkle rated 126. The previously unbeaten mare Zenyatta, defeated by Blame in the Breeders Cup Classic in 2010, gets 125 the same rating as Goldikova to lead the way for the fairer sex. Aussie sprinter Black Caviar topped the sprint figures on 123 with J J The Jet Plane getting 122.
The Three-Year-Old ratings are likely to get a few heated debates going with Makfi and Workforce both being rated at 128 and Canford Cliffs on 127. Personally I would have had the Arc and Derby winning colt ahead of the 2000 Guineas winner. The Stoute trained colt is the fourth successive Derby winner to top the ratings which shows the Epsom showpiece to be in rude health. Although biased with the colt being arguably my favourite of the year I would have had Canford Cliffs a pound higher than the 127 he has been awarded but what do I know when it comes to ratings? The way in which Canford Cliffs runs/has to been ridden makes him a hard horse to rate as he is never likely to beat a field by ten lengths so is a colt that can only be judged on what he has done and not what he might be able to do if he had to. Cape Blanco gets 126 and Dick Turpin 124. As for the fillies Snow Fairy gets a rating of 120 1lb behind Lily Of The Valley and and Sarafina. Top Three-Year-old sprinter was my favourite Starspangledbanner on 121.
The Two-Year-Olds appear to have most people scratching their heads and commenting on websites with Frankel and Dream Ahead both getting a rating of 126. Dream Ahead had been the highest rated of the two until Frankel gave him a seven length beating in the Dewhurst Stakes. Opinion appears to be divided between punters who think this is fair and that Dream Ahead simply did not run any sort of race in the Dewhurst but deserves the rating for his Middle Park run and those who feel Frankel is being hard done by not being rated Champion Two-Year-Old. We are unlikely to get an answer in their Three-Year-old campaigns as Dream Ahead appears destined for sprint distances.
Like I said at the start the debate rages……..