By Bloodhorse.com
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Sept. 15, 2016) –Off his dominating victory in the $1 million TVG Pacific Classic Stakes (gr. I) Aug. 20 at Del Mar, California Chrome has moved back to the top of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings for 2016.
In the rankings that consider races through August, California Chrome received a rating of 133, four points ahead of the duo of second-rated Travers Stakes (gr. I) winner Arrogate and A Shin Hikari.
California Chrome, the 2014 Horse of the Year in the U.S., has delivered another splendid season. The California-bred son of Lucky Pulpit has won all five of his starts highlighted by a score in the Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline (UAE-I).
A new major player to the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings is Arrogate (129). In his first start in graded stakes company, the 3-year-old colt made history when he won the Travers by 13 1/2 lengths and broke a track record that had stood for 37 years. Plans call for Arrogate to train up to the Breeders’ Cup Classic (gr. I), where he would face California Chrome.
Arrogate is co-second rated with A Shin Hikari, the Japanese-bred winner of the Prix d’Ispahan (Fr-I) at Chantilly. Other U.S.-based horses with top ratings include Frosted (126) and Nyquist (124).
Ranking Horse, Rating
1. California Chrome 133
2. A Shin Hikari 129
2. Arrogate 129
4. Almanzor, 127
4. Winx, 127
6. Frosted, 126
7. Maurice, 124
7. Nyquist, 124
7. Postponed, 124
7. Werther, 124