2007–08 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings

The 2007–08 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings is the 2007–08 edition of the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings. It is an assessment of racehorses which was issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in August 2008. It includes horses aged three or older which raced or were trained during 2007–08 in countries where the flat racing year runs from August 1 to July 31 (and also South America, where it runs from July 1 to June 30). These countries are generally in the Southern Hemisphere, although some areas covered, such as Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, are actually north of the equator.

The ratings represent a weight value in pounds, with higher values given to horses which showed greater ability. It is judged that these weights would equalize the abilities of the horses if carried in a theoretical handicap race. The list includes all horses rated 115 or above, and it also shows the surface and the distances at which the rating was achieved.

The highest rating in the 2007–08 season was 130, which was given to the performance of Curlin in the Dubai World Cup. In total, 80 horses were included in the list, fifteen more than in the 2006–07 Rankings.

Full rankings for 2007–08

• Country foaled – Horse names are followed by a suffix indicating the country where foaled.
• Age – The ages shown for horses foaled in the Southern Hemisphere are as of their universal date of increase, August 1, 2007. The ages of those born in the Northern Hemisphere are taken from their equivalent date, January 1, 2008.
• Sex – The following abbreviations are used:
  • C – Colt – Ungelded male horse up to four-years-old.
  • F – Filly – Female horse up to four-years-old.
  • H – Horse – Ungelded male horse over four-years-old.
  • M – Mare – Female horse over four-years-old.
  • G – Gelding – Gelded male horse of any age.

Certain horses may have also recorded a lesser rating over a distance different to that listed above. The IFHA publishes this information when the lower rating represents the overall top performance in a particular category. There was one such additional rating for this season:

Top ranked horses

The tables below show the top ranked horses overall, the top fillies and mares, and the top three-year-olds in the 2007–08 Rankings. They also show the top performers in various subdivisions of each group, which are defined by the distances of races, and the surfaces on which they are run. The IFHA recognizes five distance categories — Sprint, Mile, Intermediate, Long and Extended — identified by the acronym "SMILE". These are framed as follows:

• Sprint: 1,000–1,300m (1,000–1,599m for races in Canada and the United States)
• Mile: 1,301–1,899m (1,600–1,899m for races in Canada and the United States)
• Intermediate: 1,900–2,100m
• Long: 2,101–2,700m
• Extended: 2,701m +

Possible errors

During the creation of this article the following anomalies were found in the 2007–08 Rankings:

• Pocket Power received a rating of 121 for his victory in the Vodacom Durban July Stakes over 2,200 metres. The IFHA has categorized this as "Intermediate" (1,900–2,100m) rather than "Long" (2,101–2,700m). The rating is higher than that of the official top ranked horses in the latter category, Sun Classique and Viva Pataca, who were both rated at 120.
• Shinzig was given a rating of 115 for his victory in the C F Orr Stakes. The distance is shown as 2,000 metres, although the race was actually run over 1,400 metres. The IFHA has correctly placed the performance in the "Mile" category (1,301–1,899m).

References

• IFHA 2007–08 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings
• IFHA 2007–08 Top Ranked Performers by Age, Distance and Surface
• IFHA 2007–08 Top Ranked Fillies and Mares by Age, Distance and Surface
• IFHA 2007–08 Press Release
• racingandsports.com.au