Godolphin trio feature in top Longines World Best Racehorse Rankings

Godolphin’s best American runner and its best Australian performer of 2016 have been officially named among the top 10 racehorses in the world.

Frosted, whose 14-1/4 length demolition of the G1 Metropolitan Handicap field at Belmont in June will be remembered as the most dominant top-level performance of the year, finished in seventh place in the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings announced in London on Tuesday.

One place behind him came Hartnell, winner of the G1 Turnbull Stakes at Flemington in October, a victory that established him as the closest challenger to Winx, Australia’s best racehorse and the world number three.

Frosted, the winner of three G1s among his six lifetime victories, earned a ranking of 126, with the world’s top-ranked galloper Arrogate on 134, two ahead of Winx, with Hartnell on 124.

Frosted, whose retirement was announced late last year, was praised by trainer Kiarin McLaughlin at the time: “It was an honor and a pleasure to train a horse like Frosted. Without a doubt, he's one of the best that I've had the privilege of training. I look forward to having a few of his babies in the barn in the future.”

Hartnell won three races in 2016, the Turnbull Stakes clearly the best of them, although it was closely rivalled by his second to Winx in the G1 WS Cox Plate, a race listed as the second best in the world in 2016 at the Longines awards.

“It’s a privilege and a pleasure to train a horse like Hartnell,” said his trainer John O’Shea.

“We had a horse who was at the peak of his form in the Cox Plate and he was beaten by a champion, but it was no disgrace, he did his best.”

While Frosted has joined the Darley stallion roster, Hartnell makes his first public appearance for 2017 in a barrier trial in Sydney on Friday.

Ribchester, trained by Richard Fahey in Yorkshire for Godolphin, was rated the joint-best three-year-old miler in the world for 2016 on 122 in the Longines World Best Racehorse Rankings.

The Iffraaj colt progressed throughout last year after finishing third in the British Classic, the G1 QIPCO 2000 Guineas over a mile at Newmarket in May. He won the seven-furlong G3 Jersey Stakes impressively at Royal Ascot in June before swooping to be a close third in the G1 Qatar Sussex Stakes back at a mile at Glorious Goodwood at the end of July.

Ribchester won again, overcoming older horses for the first time, in the G1 Prix Du Haras De Fresnay-Le-Buffard - Jacques Le Marois at Deauville, France, in August.

He put up his best performance on his final start of 2016 in the G1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes Sponsored By QIPCO, when beaten a half-length by the exceptional filly Minding in the 13-runner mile championship race, and remains in training.

Minding, Songbird and The Gurkha were the other three-year-old milers given the same 122 rating.