Calandagan Leads World's Best Racehorse Rankings

There is a new horse atop the latest Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings, though it is not Forever Young (IRE), winner of the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar. The Japan-based international dirt star remains rated at 127, placing him in a tie for third, trailing turf horses Calandagan (IRE) and Ombudsman (IRE). The latter two runners finished 1-2 in the Champion Stakes (G1) Oct. 18 at Ascot, with Calandagan's 2 1/4-length score over former No. 1 Ombudsman vaulting him into the top spot in the rankings. Calandagan, who improved his rating to 130 from 125, came into Champion Stakes following victories in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (G1) and Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud (G1) in his previous two outings. Calandagan won the Champion Stakes for the team of jockey Mickael Barzalona, trainer Francis Graffard, and owner Aga Khan Studs. The homebred 4-year-old gelded son of Gleneagles (IRE) is under consideration for the Nov. 30 Japan Cup (G1) for a further 2025 start. Ombudsman maintained his rating at 128 after his defeat at Ascot, leaving him in second place. Forever Young is tied in third with three others: Daryz (FR), Field of Gold (IRE), and Sovereignty. Forever Young and Sovereignty, the anticipated North American Horse of the Year for 2025, are the top-rated dirt horses in the world. The rankings are compiled by the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings Committee and published by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.