Able Friend’s stunning Hong Kong Mile victory in December has made him Hong Kong’s highest-rated horse of all-time according to the 2014 Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings.
The brilliant five-year-old earned a rating of 127 for his easy demolition of a world-class field last month, a figure that sees him break into the world’s top three and rank as the co-third best horse in the world in 2014.
That rating eclipsed Hong Kong’s previous best WBRR of 124, achieved by Good Ba Ba (2008), Ambitious Dragon (2012) and Military Attack (2013).
Able Friend’s owners Dr Cornel Li and his wife Mrs Tisa Li expressed joy at their horse’s achievement. Mrs Li attended the second Longines World’s Best Racehorse Ceremony accompanied by the couple’s daughter Charmaine.
“We are delighted,” said Dr Li, who was unable to make the journey to London. “What an honour to be chosen by the World’s Best Racehorse Rankings Committee as number three in the world. Able Friend excelled himself in the Longines Hong Kong Mile and to see him do that, in such an outstanding fashion, really fulfills our dreams as owners of a world-class race horse.
“Our thanks to the Hong Kong Jockey Club, trainer John Moore and all the capable hands in the stable, not forgetting ‘Able's’ loyal fans who support him with such enthusiasm.”
Hong Kong saw another impressive record established as 23 locally-trained horses were included in the WBRR. That surpasses the previous best of 21, which was set in 2011 and matched in 2013. The figure represents a significant achievement for Hong Kong with its horse population of just above 1,200.
Able Friend, who won the HKG1 Hong Kong Classic Mile and was runner-up to Designs On Rome in the HKG1 BMW Hong Kong Derby (2000m) and the HKG1 Hong Kong Classic Cup (1800m) in the first quarter of last year, matured into a formidable elite miler in the latter part of 2014.
Trainer John Moore’s imposing stable star took third place in the WBRR alongside G1 English Derby winner Australia, Europe’s champion miler Kingman, G1 French Derby victor The Grey Gatsby and South Africa’s two-time Horse of the Year Variety Club, who defeated Able Friend to win the G1 Champions Mile at Sha Tin in May.
“It is very exciting that Able Friend has received this official recognition. His rating puts him clear of some great Hong Kong horses; horses like Good Ba Ba, Silent Witness, Viva Pataca, Military Attack, Vengeance Of Rain and Ambitious Dragon. He’s one of the best in the world, and now we’ll sit down and work out where we go with him. He’s proven it here on home soil and hopefully he can really stamp himself as the world’s number one miler with a victory overseas,” said Moore.
Designs On Rome was no match for Able Friend at a mile but edged his stablemate in two major domestic contests over further last term. Hong Kong’s reigning Horse of the Year twice swept aside overseas raiders in 2014 to win the G1 Audemars Piguet QEII Cup and the G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup, and earned a year-end rating of 123.
He, along with Longines Hong Kong Cup runner-up Military Attack (123), 2013 G1 Longines Hong Kong Cup hero Akeed Mofeed (122) and Hong Kong’s incumbent Champion Miler, Gold-Fun (122), gave Hong Kong five horses ranked equal 29th or above in the World’s Best Racehorse Rankings, placing them among the best 36 racehorses in the world.
William A. Nader, the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s Executive Director of Racing, expressed satisfaction that the world-class quality of Hong Kong-trained horses is being recognised as among the very best in the world.
“Able Friend showed in the Longines Hong Kong Mile that he is a superior talent, a horse that is among the very best in the world, and it is pleasing to see the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings officially recognise that fact. It’s also fantastic to see the horse break new ground, rising to a mark 3lb higher than the previous highest rating ever allotted to any Hong Kong horse,” said Mr Nader.
“Able Friend breaking into the world’s top three, and the fact that we had a record 23 Hong Kong horses in the rankings in 2014, highlights the fact that Hong Kong racing is now consistently performing at the world’s best level.
“It’s worth remembering that our very first horse to make the rankings came as recently as 1998 when Johan Cruyff registered 115. By 2003 the number of our horses in the list had risen rapidly to eight and the progress since then reflects the commitment of the Hong Kong Jockey Club to drive racing in this city to the forefront of the sport globally,” said Mr Nader.
Just A Way was crowned the World’s Best Racehorse with a rating of 130 for his G1 Dubai Duty Free success, while Epiphaneia’s rating of 129 for his G1 Japan Cup triumph secured his position as the world’s second best race horse.
Treve, the brilliant winner of the past two editions of the G1 Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe and who was rated the world’s best (130) in tandem with the great Black Caviar in the 2013 WBRR, this time came in behind Able Friend on a rating of 126. USA star Bayern, winner of North America’s defining championship contest, the G1 Breeders’ Cup Classic in November, earned a WBRR of 125, 2lb inferior to Able Friend.
The Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings are based on the ratings horses earned in races worldwide, from Asia, Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Racing official and handicappers from the five continents compiled the ratings under the auspices of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.
