Longines World’s Best Racehorse returns to the United States on January 25 as Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Knicks Go won an award from the International Federation of Equestrian Organizations in a virtual ceremony.
Owned by the Korea Racing Authority, Knicks Go is based in the US with trainer Brad Cox. Also expected to win the Horse of the Year Eclipse Award, Knicks Go has won five races in 2021, including a first-place trio of Breeders’ Cup Classic, Whitney Stakes and Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes.
The most recent American horse to win the award before Knicks Go was Arrogate, who won in 2017 and 2016.
From Britain’s National Museum of Equestrianism in Newmarket on Tuesday, presenter Francesca Cumani revealed that the 2021 Longines World Championship title belongs to the Knicks Go, while the World’s Best Equestrian Championship World Cup 2021 is the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe (G1) in France. During the ceremony, Ryan Moore was named Longines World Driver of the Year 2021.
Knicks Go ends 2021 with a rating of 129, the highest in the world. He earned that rating in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), his last starting game of the year. Besides the three wins in 1st grade, Knicks Go added points in the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker (G3) and Lukas Classic Stakes (G3) handicaps.
There is a tripartite relationship about second between Europe Adayar , Mishriff , and St Mark’s Basilica , all of which ended 2021 with a 127th rating. Adayar earned his rating in King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO (G1) Shares, Mishriff hit that mark with his win in the Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) and St Mark’s Church received his rating after winning the Coral-Eclipse (G1).
The Longines World Best Racehorse rankings are established by international athletes with disabilities based on the performance of horses in the top races. In the previous edition, Ghaiyyath was awarded the title of World’s Best Racehorse 2020 by Longines.
The Longines World Grand Prix also honored the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, held in ParisLongchamp, France, as Longines’ 2021 World Championship with a rating of 124.75. This award recognizes the highest rated race among the highest rated group 1 / class 1 international races established by an international panel of athletes with disabilities. The ranking of the top four finishers in each race is the basis for evaluation.
This is the fifth time Arc has won the award, with additional recognition in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019. The US Breeders’ Cup Classic was won in 2016, while Britain’s Juddmonte International Stakes won. won this title in 2020.
The awarding of the title of Longines World’s Best Rider is based on performances in the 100 most highly regarded Group 1 and Tier 1 races established by the Longines World Best Equestrian Ranking Commission of the year. Moore was also named Longines World Driver of the Year in 2014 and 2016.
