The ranked list is compiled using the annual race ratings, which are calculated based on the first four finishers in each race. LONGINES and the IFHA use this list to determine the winner of the annual LONGINES World's Best Horse Race Award.
For the fourth time in five years, the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe has been honoured as the highest rated race. In 2019, it achieved a rating of 126.25 after Group 1 winners Waldgeist (GB), Enable (GB), Sottsass (FR), and Japan (GB) were the first four across the finish line.
The remaining top 10 rated races are the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Qipco Stakes (125.75), Prince of Wales's Stakes (124.25), Coral-Eclipse (123.00), Takarazuka Kinen (122.25), Arima Kinen (122.00), Juddmonte International Stakes (122.00), LONGINES Queen Elizabeth Stakes (122.00), Ladbrokes Cox Plate (121.75), FWD QEII Cup (121.50), and LONGINES Breeders' Cup Classic (121.50).
The top rated races in the 5 respective distance categories are the King’s Stand Stakes (120.25-Sprint); Whitney Stakes (121.25-Mile); Prince of Wales’s Stakes (124.25-Intermediate); Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe (126.25-Long); and the Gold Cup (119.25-Extended).
The highest rated race for fillies and mares is the Darley Yorkshire Oaks (116.75), while the highest rated 3-year-old race is shared between the Commonwealth Cup (118.75) and the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) (118.75).
Ten countries comprise this year's list, representing the foremost racing events throughout the world across 37 different racecourses. Great Britain leads all countries with 21 total races, followed by Australia (20), United States (20), Japan (11), Hong Kong (10), France (5), South Africa (5), United Arab Emirates (4), Ireland (3), and Germany (2). Because of a six-way tie for the 96th spot on the list of Top 100 G1 races, the 2019 edition consists of 101 races.
In the context of their partnership, LONGINES and the IFHA have created a set of prizes rewarding racehorses, jockeys and prominent women and men of the equestrian world. The LONGINES World's Best Horse Race was created to complete this collection of awards by rewarding the top race in the world. The Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe won in 2019, 2018, 2017, and was the inaugural winner in 2015, while the Breeders’ Cup Classic won in 2016.
The top 100 Group 1 and Grade 1 races also serve as the base of an annual competition to recognize top jockeys throughout the world. The jockey who outperforms his or her peers in these races is honoured with the LONGINES World's Best Jockey Award. Frankie Dettori was the 2019 Longines World’s Best Jockey, and he previously was honoured in both 2018 and 2015. Hugh Bowman won the title in 2017, while Ryan Moore took the inaugural contest in 2014 as well as the 2016 edition.
The 2020 LONGINES World's Best Jockey Award will be based upon performances in these 100 highest-rated Group 1 and Grade 1 races from 1 December 2019 until 30 November 2020. Jockeys accrue 12 points for a win, 6 points for placing second, and 4 points for placing third.
