Blame Second in World Thoroughbred Rankings

Blame ’s performance in the Breeders’ Cup Classic is the best performance on a non Turf surface in 2010 according to the World Thoroughbred Rankings, and places him second overall behind English-bred Harbinger, who continues to lead the way on the strength of his outstanding 11-length triumph in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes sponsored by Betfair (Eng-I) at Ascot in July.

Zenyatta so nearly made it 20 wins from 20 career starts, gaining relentless ground from the tail of the field to go down by a head. The winner of 13 grade I races, Zenyatta is the top filly or mare both on dirt and on artificial surfaces, but she has now been joined as one of the leading female racehorses in the world by Goldikova, who became the first horse to win three Breeders’ Cup races when taking the TVG Breeders’ Cup Mile (gr. IT) for the third successive year in impressive style.

So You Think became the highest rated Australian-trained horse since the inception of the World Rankings in 2004 with his victories in the Caulfield Yalumba Stakes (Aust-I) at Caulfield, the Tatts Cox Plate (Aust-I) at Moonee Valley and the Longines Mackinnon Stakes (Aust-I) at Flemington.

However, So You Think’s winning streak came to an end in the Emirates Melbourne Cup (G1), in which he finished third to French-trained Americain, who recorded the best performance by a stayer so far this year with his 2.75L success.

Also in Australia, Black Caviar recorded her eighth win in as many starts with a dazzling display to take the Patinack Farm Classic (Aust-I) at Flemington by a commanding four lengths. In the process, she joined Sacred Kingdom at the top of the sprinting tree, and became the third highest rated female in the current World Rankings behind only Goldikova and Zenyatta.

In Japan, Buena Vista also stamped herself a world-class filly when running out a very decisive two-length winner of the Tenno Sho (Jpn-I) in Tokyo from Pelusa, who is now the highest rated 3-year-old in Japan.

English-bred Twice Over completed a notable double when taking the Emirates Champion Stakes (Eng-I) at Newmarket for the second successive year, defeating French-bred Vision D’Etat and Irish-bred Arlington Million (gr. IT) winner Debussy.

The World Thoroughbred Rankings are compiled by the World Rankings Supervisory Committee and published by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.