2008 World Thoroughbred Rankings

The 2008 World Thoroughbred Rankings was the 2008 edition of the World Thoroughbred Rankings.^[1] It was an assessment of Thoroughbred racehorses issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in January 2009.^[2] It included horses aged three or older which competed in flat races anywhere in the world during 2008. It was the first edition to be open to all horses irrespective of where they raced or were trained. In previous years the IFHA had published two separate listings – a "Northern Hemisphere" edition in January, and a "Southern Hemisphere" version in August.

This year's joint-highest ratings were awarded to Curlin for his performances in both the Dubai World Cup and the Stephen Foster Handicap, and to New Approach for his win in the Champion Stakes.^[3] Each was given a rating of 130.^[4] A total of 288 horses were included in the list.

Full rankings for 2008

• For a detailed guide to this table, see below.

Rank	Rating	Horse	Age	Sex	Trained	Pos.	Race	Surface	Dist.	Cat.
1	130	Curlin (USA)	4	C	USA	1st 1st	Dubai World Cup Stephen Foster Handicap	Dirt Dirt	2,000 1,811	I M
1	130	New Approach (IRE)	3	C	IRE	1st	Champion Stakes	Turf	2,012	I
3	129	Raven's Pass (USA)	3	C	GB	1st	Breeders' Cup Classic	Artificial	2,012	I
4	128	Zarkava (IRE)	3	F	FR	1st	Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe	Turf	2,400	L
5	127	Duke of Marmalade (IRE)	4	C	IRE	1st	Prince of Wales's Stakes	Turf	2,012	I
	127	Raven's Pass (USA)	3	C	GB	1st	Queen Elizabeth II Stakes	Turf	1,609	M
	126	Duke of Marmalade (IRE)	4	C	IRE	1st	King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S.	Turf	2,414	L
6	125	Big Brown (USA)	3	C	USA	1st 1st	Kentucky Derby Preakness Stakes	Dirt Dirt	2,012 1,911	I I
6	125	Conduit (IRE)	3	C	GB	1st	Breeders' Cup Turf	Turf	2,414	L
6	125	Goldikova (IRE)	3	F	FR	1st	Breeders' Cup Mile	Turf	1,609	M
6	125	Henrythenavigator (USA)	3	C	IRE	2nd 2nd	Queen Elizabeth II Stakes Breeders' Cup Classic	Turf Artificial	1,609 2,012	M I
6	125	Montmartre (FR)	3	C	FR	1st	Grand Prix de Paris	Turf	2,400	L
6	125	Youmzain (IRE)	5	H	GB	2nd	Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe	Turf	2,400	L
	125	Zarkava (IRE)	3	F	FR	1st	Prix de Diane	Turf	2,100	I
6	125	Zenyatta (USA)	4	F	USA	1st	Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic	Artificial	1,811	M
13	124	Good Ba Ba (USA)	6	G	HK	1st	Hong Kong Mile	Turf	1,600	M
13	124	It's Gino (GER)	5	H	GER	3rd=	Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe	Turf	2,400	L
13	124	Paco Boy (IRE)	3	C	GB	1st	Prix de la Forêt	Turf	1,400	M
13	124	Papal Bull (GB)	5	H	GB	2nd	King George VI and Queen Elizabeth S.	Turf	2,414	L
13	124	Soldier of Fortune (IRE)	4	C	IRE	3rd=	Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe	Turf	2,400	L
13	124	Tamayuz (GB)	3	C	FR	1st	Prix Jacques Le Marois	Turf	1,600	M
19	123	Midnight Lute (USA)	5	H	USA	1st	Breeders' Cup Sprint	Artificial	1,207	S
19	123	Phoenix Tower (USA)	4	C	GB	2nd	International Stakes	Turf	2,012	I
19	123	Sacred Kingdom (AUS)	4	G	HK	1st	Chairman's Sprint Prize	Turf	1,200	S
19	123	Tiago (USA)	4	C	USA	3rd	Breeders' Cup Classic	Artificial	2,012	I
	122	Big Brown (USA)	3	C	USA	1st	Florida Derby	Dirt	1,811	M
23	122	Commentator (USA)	7	G	USA	1st 1st	Whitney Handicap Massachusetts Handicap	Dirt Dirt	1,811 1,811	M M
	122	Conduit (IRE)	3	C	GB	1st	St. Leger Stakes	Turf	2,937	E
23	122	Eagle Mountain (GB)	4	C	UAE	2nd 1st	Breeders' Cup Turf Hong Kong Cup	Turf Turf	2,414 2,000	L I
23	122	Kip Deville (USA)	5	H	USA	1st 2nd	Poker Handicap Breeders' Cup Mile	Turf Turf	1,609 1,609	M M
23	122	Screen Hero (JPN)	4	C	JPN	1st	Japan Cup	Turf	2,400	L
23	122	Septimus (IRE)	5	H	IRE	1st	Irish St. Leger	Turf	2,816	E
23	122	Tartan Bearer (IRE)	3	C	GB	2nd	Epsom Derby	Turf	2,423	L
23	122	Vision d'Etat (FR)	3	C	FR	5th	Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe	Turf	2,400	L
23	122	Viva Pataca (GB)	6	G	HK	1st 1st	Hong Kong Gold Cup Sha Tin Trophy	Turf Turf	2,000 1,600	I M
23	122	Weekend Hussler (AUS)	3 3 4	G	AUS	1st 1st 1st	Newmarket Handicap George Ryder Stakes Underwood Stakes	Turf Turf Turf	1,200 1,500 1,800	S M M
23	122	Yeats (IRE)	7	H	IRE	1st 1st	Ascot Gold Cup Goodwood Cup	Turf Turf	4,023 3,219	E E
33	121	Adlerflug (GER)	4	C	GER	1st	Deutschland-Preis	Turf	2,400	L
33	121	Apache Cat (AUS)	5	G	AUS	1st 1st	T. J. Smith Stakes Doomben 10,000	Turf Turf	1,200 1,350	S M
33	121	Deep Sky (JPN)	3	C	JPN	2nd	Japan Cup	Turf	2,400	L
33	121	Getaway (GER)	5	H	FR	1st	Jockey Club Stakes	Turf	2,414	L
33	121	Kamsin (GER)	3	C	GER	1st	Grosser Preis von Baden	Turf	2,400	L
33	121	Marchand d'Or (FR)	5	G	FR	1st 1st	Prix du Gros Chêne Prix Maurice de Gheest	Turf Turf	1,000 1,300	S S
33	121	Matsurida Gogh (JPN)	5	H	JPN	1st	Nikkei Sho	Turf	2,500	L
33	121	Pocket Power (SAF)	5	G	SAF	1st=	Durban July Handicap	Turf	2,200	L
41	120	Archipenko (USA)	4	C	UAE	1st	QE II Cup	Turf	2,000	I
41	120	Famous Name (GB)	3	C	IRE	2nd	Prix du Jockey Club	Turf	2,100	I
41	120	Go Between (USA)	5	H	USA	1st 5th	Pacific Classic Stakes Breeders' Cup Classic	Artificial Artificial	2,012 2,012	I I
41	120	Haradasun (AUS)	4	C	IRE	1st	Queen Anne Stakes	Turf	1,609	M
41	120	Heatseeker (IRE)	5	H	USA	1st 1st	Santa Anita Handicap Californian Stakes	Artificial Artificial	2,012 1,811	I M
41	120	Honour Devil (ARG)	3	C	UAE	1st	UAE Derby	Dirt	1,800	M
41	120	J J the Jet Plane (SAF)	3	G	SAF	1st 1st	Golden Horse Casino Sprint Mercury Sprint	Turf Turf	1,200 1,200	S S
41	120	Jay Peg (SAF)	4	C	UAE	1st	Dubai Duty Free	Turf	1,777	M
41	120	Overdose (GB)	3	C	HUN	1st	Premio Carlo e Francesco Aloisi	Turf	1,200	S
41	120	Sun Classique (AUS)	4	F	UAE	1st	Dubai Sheema Classic	Turf	2,400	L
41	120	Vodka (JPN)	4	F	JPN	1st	Yasuda Kinen	Turf	1,600	M
52	119	Ask (GB)	5	H	GB	6th	Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe	Turf	2,400	L
52	119	Benny the Bull (USA)	5	H	USA	1st 1st	Dubai Golden Shaheen Smile Sprint Handicap	Dirt Dirt	1,200 1,207	S S
52	119	Cocoa Beach (CHI)	4	F	USA	2nd	Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic	Artificial	1,811	M
52	119	Colonel John (USA)	3	C	USA	1st	Travers Stakes	Dirt	2,012	I
52	119	Company (JPN)	7	H	JPN	4th	Tenno Sho (Autumn)	Turf	2,000	I
52	119	Daiwa Scarlet (JPN)	4	F	JPN	1st	Arima Kinen	Turf	2,500	L
52	119	Darjina (FR)	4	F	FR	2nd	Prix du Moulin de Longchamp	Turf	1,600	M
52	119	Doctor Dino (FR)	6	H	FR	3rd 1st 3rd	Dubai Sheema Classic Grand Prix de Chantilly Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud	Turf Turf Turf	2,400 2,400 2,400	L L L
52	119	Eishin Deputy (JPN)	6	H	JPN	1st	Takarazuka Kinen	Turf	2,200	L
52	119	Fatal Bullet (USA)	3	C	USA	2nd	Breeders' Cup Sprint	Artificial	1,207	S
52	119	Frozen Fire (GER)	3	C	IRE	1st	Irish Derby	Turf	2,414	L
52	119	Kane Hekili (JPN)	6	H	JPN	1st	Tokyo Daishoten	Dirt	2,000	I
52	119	Lady Marian (GER)	3	F	GER	1st	Prix de l'Opéra	Turf	2,000	I
52	119	Linngari (IRE)	6	H	GB	1st	Bayerisches Zuchtrennen	Turf	2,000	I
52	119	Look Here (GB)	3	F	GB	1st	Epsom Oaks	Turf	2,423	L
52	119	Lush Lashes (GB)	3	F	IRE	1st	Coronation Stakes	Turf	1,609	M
52	119	Macarthur (GB)	4	C	IRE	3rd 1st	Coronation Cup Hardwicke Stakes	Turf Turf	2,423 2,414	L L
52	119	Mount Nelson (GB)	4	C	IRE	1st	Eclipse Stakes	Turf	2,018	I
52	119	Oken Bruce Lee (JPN)	3	C	JPN	5th	Japan Cup	Turf	2,400	L
52	119	Pompeii Ruler (AUS)	6	G	AUS	2nd	Underwood Stakes	Turf	1,800	M
52	119	Quijano (GER)	6	G	GER	4th	Dubai Sheema Classic	Turf	2,400	L
52	119	Racing to Win (AUS)	5	G	AUS	2nd	George Ryder Stakes	Turf	1,500	M
52	119	Saddex (GB)	5	H	GER	2nd	Prix Ganay	Turf	2,100	I
52	119	Sageburg (IRE)	4	C	FR	1st 3rd↑ 2nd	Prix d'Ispahan Prix du Moulin de Longchamp Prix Daniel Wildenstein	Turf Turf Turf	1,850 1,600 1,600	M M M
52	119	Sirmione (AUS)	4	G	AUS	1st	Australian Cup	Turf	2,000	I
52	119	Spirit One (FR)	4	C	FR	1st	Arlington Million	Turf	2,012	I
52	119	Twice Over (GB)	3	C	GB	2nd	Champion Stakes	Turf	2,012	I
52	119	Well Armed (USA)	5	G	USA	2nd 1st	Pacific Classic Stakes Goodwood Stakes (USA)	Artificial Artificial	2,012 1,811	I M
80	118	Able One (NZ)	6	G	HK	2nd	Hong Kong Mile	Turf	1,600	M
80	118	Admire Jupiter (JPN)	5	H	JPN	1st	Tenno Sho (Spring)	Turf	3,200	E
80	118	Admire Monarch (JPN)	7	H	JPN	2nd	Arima Kinen	Turf	2,500	L
80	118	Air Shady (JPN)	7	H	JPN	5th	Tenno Sho (Autumn)	Turf	2,000	I
80	118	Armada (NZ)	6	G	HK	2nd	Champions Mile	Turf	1,600	M
80	118	Balius (IRE)	5	H	FR	2nd	Hong Kong Cup	Turf	2,000	I
80	118	Bob Black Jack (USA)	3	C	USA	1st	Malibu Stakes	Artificial	1,408	S
80	118	Cesare (GB)	7	G	GB	4th	Queen Anne Stakes	Turf	1,609	M
80	118	Cost of Freedom (USA)	5	G	USA	1st	Ancient Title Stakes	Artificial	1,207	S
80	118	Creachadoir (IRE)	4	C	GB	1st	Lockinge Stakes	Turf	1,609	M
80	118	Da' Tara (USA)	3	C	USA	1st	Belmont Stakes	Dirt	2,414	L
80	118	Dancing Forever (USA)	5	H	USA	3rd	Breeders' Cup Turf	Turf	2,414	L
80	118	Divine Park (USA)	4	C	USA	1st 1st	Westchester Handicap Metropolitan Handicap	Dirt Dirt	1,609 1,609	M M
80	118	Einstein (BRZ)	5	H	USA	1st 1st	Gulfstream Park Turf Stakes Turf Classic Stakes	Turf Turf	2,213 1,811	L M
80	118	Falco (USA)	3	C	FR	1st	Poule d'Essai des Poulains	Turf	1,600	M
80	118	Forever Together (USA)	4	F	USA	1st	Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf	Turf	2,012	I
80	118	Ginger Punch (USA)	5	M	USA	1st 1st	Ogden Phipps Handicap Personal Ensign Stakes	Dirt Dirt	1,710 2,012	M I
80	118	Grand Couturier (GB)	5	H	USA	1st	Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational	Turf	2,414	L
80	118	Greg's Gold (USA)	7	G	USA	1st	Potrero Grande Handicap	Artificial	1,308	S
80	118	Halfway to Heaven (IRE)	3	F	IRE	1st	Sun Chariot Stakes	Turf	1,609	M
80	118	Hystericalady (USA)	5	M	USA	1st 1st	Delaware Handicap Molly Pitcher Stakes	Dirt Dirt	2,012 1,710	I M
80	118	Kingsgate Native (IRE)	3	C	GB	1st	Golden Jubilee Stakes	Turf	1,207	S
80	118	Maldivian (NZ)	6	G	AUS	2nd 1st	Memsie Stakes W. S. Cox Plate	Turf Turf	1,400 2,040	M I
80	118	Mambo in Seattle (USA)	3	C	USA	2nd	Travers Stakes	Dirt	2,012	I
80	118	Meisho Samson (JPN)	5	H	JPN	2nd	Takarazuka Kinen	Turf	2,200	L
80	118	Monterey Jazz (USA)	4	C	USA	1st 1st	Strub Stakes Texas Mile Stakes	Artificial Dirt	1,811 1,609	M M
80	118	Multidimensional (IRE)	5	H	GB	2nd	Hardwicke Stakes	Turf	2,414	L
80	118	Music Note (USA)	3	F	USA	1st 2nd 1st	Coaching Club American Oaks Alabama Stakes Gazelle Stakes	Dirt Dirt Dirt	2,012 2,012 1,811	I I M
80	118	Oracle West (SAF)	6	G	UAE	1st	Meydan Racecourse Handicap	Turf	1,777	M
80	118	Pipedreamer (GB)	4	C	GB	3rd 4th	Prince of Wales's Stakes International Stakes	Turf Turf	2,012 2,012	I I
80	118	Proud Spell (USA)	3	F	USA	1st 1st	Kentucky Oaks Alabama Stakes	Dirt Dirt	1,811 2,012	M I
80	118	Stimulation (IRE)	3	C	GB	1st	Challenge Stakes	Turf	1,408	M
80	118	Street Boss (USA)	4	C	USA	1st	Bing Crosby Handicap	Artificial	1,207	S
80	118	Super Hornet (JPN)	5	H	JPN	1st 1st 2nd	Keio Hai Spring Cup Mainichi Okan Mile Championship	Turf Turf Turf	1,400 1,800 1,600	M M M
80	118	Sushisan (AUS)	5	G	UAE	6th	Dubai Sheema Classic	Turf	2,400	L
80	118	Traffic Guard (USA)	4	C	GB	2nd	Irish Champion Stakes	Turf	2,012	I
80	118	Ventura (USA)	4	F	USA	1st	Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint	Artificial	1,408	S
80	118	Vermilion (JPN)	6	H	JPN	1st 2nd	February Stakes Tokyo Daishoten	Dirt Dirt	1,600 2,000	M I
80	118	Winchester (USA)	3	C	IRE	1st	Secretariat Stakes	Turf	2,012	I
80	118	Zambezi Sun (GB)	4	C	FR	2nd	Grand Prix de Chantilly	Turf	2,400	L
120	117	Absolute Champion (AUS)	6	G	HK	1st	Centenary Sprint Cup	Turf	1,000	S
120	117	All Silent (AUS)	5	G	AUS	1st	Emirates Stakes	Turf	1,600	M
120	117	Asiatic Boy (ARG)	4	C	UAE	1st 2nd	Al Shindagha Sprint Dubai World Cup	Dirt Dirt	1,200 2,000	S I
120	117	Better Talk Now (USA)	9	G	USA	3rd	Man o' War Stakes	Turf	2,213	L
120	117	Casual Conquest (IRE)	3	C	IRE	1st	Derrinstown Stud Derby Trial	Turf	2,012	I
120	117	C'est la Guerre (NZ)	4	G	AUS	3rd	Melbourne Cup	Turf	3,200	E
120	117	Daytona (IRE)	4	G	USA	1st	Shoemaker Mile Stakes	Turf	1,609	M
120	117	Diabolical (USA)	5	H	UAE	1st	Mahab Al Shimaal	Dirt	1,200	S
120	117	Douro Valley (AUS)	7	G	AUS	1st	Yalumba Stakes	Turf	2,000	I
120	117	Dream Journey (JPN)	4	C	JPN	4th	Arima Kinen	Turf	2,500	L
120	117	Finsceal Beo (IRE)	4	F	IRE	2nd	Tattersalls Gold Cup	Turf	2,112	I
120	117	Geordieland (FR)	7	H	GB	1st	Yorkshire Cup	Turf	2,816	E
120	117	Georgie Boy (USA)	3	C	USA	1st 1st	San Vicente Stakes San Felipe Stakes	Artificial Artificial	1,408 1,710	S M
120	117	Hyperbaric (USA)	5	G	USA	1st	Citation Handicap	Turf	1,710	M
120	117	Indian Blessing (USA)	3	F	USA	1st	Test Stakes	Dirt	1,408	S
120	117	Inspiration (AUS)	5	G	HK	1st	Hong Kong Sprint	Turf	1,200	S
120	117	Intangaroo (USA)	4	F	USA	1st 1st	Humana Distaff Stakes Ballerina Stakes	Dirt Dirt	1,408 1,408	S S
120	117	Inti Raimi (JPN)	6	H	JPN	3rd	Takarazuka Kinen	Turf	2,200	L
120	117	Lava Man (USA)	7	G	USA	3rd	Charles Whittingham Memorial H.	Turf	2,012	I
120	117	Light Fantastic (AUS)	4	G	AUS	1st	J. J. Liston Stakes	Turf	1,400	M
120	117	Loup Breton (IRE)	4	C	FR	2nd	Prix Dollar	Turf	1,950	I
120	117	Marasco (AUS)	5	G	AUS	1st 1st	H. G. Bolton Sprint Belmont Sprint	Turf Turf	1,200 1,400	S M
120	117	Marsh Side (USA)	5	H	USA	1st	Canadian International	Turf	2,414	L
120	117	Mast Track (USA)	4	C	USA	1st	Hollywood Gold Cup	Artificial	2,012	I
120	117	Nashoba's Key (USA)	5	M	USA	1st	Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap	Artificial	1,811	M
120	117	Precious Kitten (USA)	5	M	USA	1st	Gamely Stakes	Turf	1,811	M
120	117	Pressing (IRE)	5	H	GB	2nd 1st	Premio Presidente della Repubblica Topkapi Trophy	Turf Turf	2,000 1,600	I M
120	117	Promising Lead (GB)	4	F	GB	1st	Pretty Polly Stakes	Turf	2,012	I
120	117	Red Giant (USA)	4	C	USA	1st	Clement L. Hirsch Turf Championship	Turf	2,012	I
120	117	Red Rocks (IRE)	5	H	GB	1st	Man o' War Stakes	Turf	2,213	L
120	117	Russian Cross (IRE)	3	C	FR	1st 2nd	Prix Guillaume d'Ornano Prix du Prince d'Orange	Turf Turf	2,000 2,000	I I
120	117	Schiaparelli (GER)	5	H	GB	2nd	Prix Foy	Turf	2,400	L
120	117	Spirito del Vento (FR)	5	G	FR	1st	Prix Daniel Wildenstein	Turf	1,600	M
120	117	Takeover Target (AUS)	8 9	G	AUS	1st 1st	KrisFlyer International Sprint Winterbottom Stakes	Turf Turf	1,200 1,200	S S
120	117	Whobegotyou (AUS)	3	G	AUS	1st	Caulfield Guineas	Turf	1,600	M
155	116	Blumenblatt (JPN)	5	M	JPN	1st	Mile Championship	Turf	1,600	M
155	116	Borderlescott (GB)	6	G	GB	1st	Nunthorpe Stakes	Turf	1,006	S
155	116	Buy and Sell (SAF)	4	G	SAF	4th	J&B Met	Turf	2,000	I
155	116	Campanologist (USA)	3	C	GB	4th	Eclipse Stakes	Turf	2,018	I
155	116	Cima de Triomphe (IRE)	3	C	ITY	9th	Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe	Turf	2,400	L
155	116	Court Vision (USA)	3	C	USA	1st	Hollywood Derby	Turf	2,012	I
155	116	Crossharbour (GB)	4	C	FR	1st	Prix du Conseil de Paris	Turf	2,400	L
155	116	Egyptian Ra (NZ)	7	G	HK	1st 3rd	International Mile Trial Hong Kong Mile	Turf Turf	1,600 1,600	M M
155	116	Equiano (FR)	3	C	SPA	1st	King's Stand Stakes	Turf	1,006	S
155	116	Fine Grain (JPN)	5	H	JPN	3rd	Mile Championship	Turf	1,600	M
155	116	Green Birdie (NZ)	5	G	HK	2nd	Hong Kong Sprint	Turf	1,200	S
155	116	Guillotine (NZ)	4	C	AUS	1st 3rd	Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes Yalumba Stakes	Turf Turf	1,600 2,000	M I
155	116	Harlem Rocker (CAN)	3	C	USA	2nd↓	Cigar Mile Handicap	Dirt	1,609	M
155	116	Honolulu (IRE)	4	C	IRE	1st	Doncaster Cup	Turf	3,621	E
155	116	Hunting Tower (SAF)	5	G	SAF	3rd	J&B Met	Turf	2,000	I
155	116	Ideal World (USA)	3	C	FR	2nd	Prix Niel	Turf	2,400	L
155	116	In Summation (USA)	5	H	USA	1st 2nd	Palos Verdes Handicap Bing Crosby Handicap	Artificial Artificial	1,207 1,207	S S
155	116	Jaguar Mail (JPN)	4	C	JPN	3rd	Hong Kong Vase	Turf	2,400	L
155	116	Lewis Michael (USA)	5	H	USA	1st	Pat O'Brien Handicap	Artificial	1,408	S
155	116	Liang Kay (GER)	3	C	GER	1st	Fürstenberg-Rennen	Turf	2,000	I
155	116	Meisho Tokon (JPN)	6	H	JPN	2nd	Japan Cup Dirt	Dirt	1,800	M
155	116	Mentality (AUS)	4 5	G	AUS	1st 1st	Canterbury Stakes George Main Stakes	Turf Turf	1,550 1,600	M M
155	116	Mores Wells (GB)	4	C	IRE	1st 3rd	Ballyroan Stakes Irish Champion Stakes	Turf Turf	2,414 2,012	L I
155	116	Natagora (FR)	3	F	FR	2nd	Prix Jacques Le Marois	Turf	1,600	M
155	116	Niconero (AUS)	6	G	AUS	1st	Futurity Stakes	Turf	1,600	M
155	116	Oriental Tiger (GER)	5	H	GER	1st	Gerling-Preis	Turf	2,400	L
155	116	Out of Control (BRZ)	4 5	C H	USA	2nd 2nd	Manhattan Handicap Clement L. Hirsch Turf Championship	Turf Turf	2,012 2,012	I I
155	116	Packing Winner (NZ)	5	G	HK	1st	Champions & Chater Cup	Turf	2,400	L
155	116	Precious Boy (GER)	3	C	GER	1st	Grosse Europa-Meile	Turf	1,600	M
155	116	Purple Moon (IRE)	5	G	GB	2nd	Hong Kong Vase	Turf	2,400	L
155	116	Rahy's Attorney (CAN)	4	G	CAN	1st	Woodbine Mile	Turf	1,609	M
155	116	Rebel Raider (AUS)	3	C	AUS	1st	Victoria Derby	Turf	2,500	L
155	116	Rio de la Plata (USA)	3	C	GB	3rd	Prix Jean Prat	Turf	1,600	M
155	116	Royal and Regal (IRE)	4	G	GB	1st 2nd	John Porter Stakes Yorkshire Cup	Turf Turf	2,419 2,816	L E
155	116	Sakura Mega Wonder (JPN)	5	H	JPN	6th	Tenno Sho (Autumn)	Turf	2,000	I
155	116	Sarrera (AUS)	7	G	AUS	1st 1st	Queen Elizabeth Stakes Doomben Cup	Turf Turf	2,000 2,020	I I
155	116	Sealy Hill (CAN)	4	F	CAN	2nd	Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf	Turf	2,012	I
155	116	Spring at Last (USA)	5	H	USA	1st	Donn Handicap	Dirt	1,811	M
155	116	Surf Cat (USA)	6	H	USA	1st 2nd	San Carlos Handicap San Diego Handicap	Artificial Artificial	1,408 1,710	S M
155	116	Tale of Ekati (USA)	3	C	USA	1st↑	Cigar Mile Handicap	Dirt	1,609	M
155	116	Tough Tiz's Sis (USA)	4	F	USA	1st	Ruffian Handicap	Dirt	1,710	M
155	116	US Ranger (USA)	4	C	IRE	2nd	July Cup	Turf	1,207	S
155	116	Wait a While (USA)	5	M	USA	1st 3rd	Yellow Ribbon Stakes Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf	Turf Turf	2,012 2,012	I I
155	116	Watar (IRE)	3	C	FR	1st 5th	Prix Chaudenay Prix Royal-Oak	Turf Turf	3,000 3,100	E E
155	116	Whatsthescript (IRE)	4	C	USA	3rd	Breeders' Cup Mile	Turf	1,609	M
155	116	Zaftig (USA)	3	F	USA	1st	Acorn Stakes	Dirt	1,609	M
155	116	Zipping (AUS)	7	G	AUS	3rd 2nd	Turnbull Stakes W. S. Cox Plate	Turf Turf	2,000 2,040	I I
202	115	A P Arrow (USA)	6	H	USA	2nd 4th	Donn Handicap Dubai World Cup	Dirt Dirt	1,811 2,000	M I
202	115	Admire Aura (JPN)	4	C	JPN	1st	Kyoto Kinen	Turf	2,200	L
202	115	African Rose (GB)	3	F	FR	2nd	Prix Maurice de Gheest	Turf	1,300	S
202	115	Alamosa (NZ)	4	C	AUS	1st	Toorak Handicap	Turf	1,600	M
202	115	Albertus Maximus (USA)	4	C	USA	3rd 1st	Goodwood Stakes (USA) Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile	Artificial Artificial	1,811 1,609	M M
202	115	Alessandro Volta (GB)	3	C	IRE	4th↓	Irish Derby	Turf	2,414	L
202	115	Arson Squad (USA)	5	G	USA	4th	Cigar Mile Handicap	Dirt	1,609	M
202	115	Asakusa Kings (JPN)	4	C	JPN	3rd 3rd	Osaka Hai Tenno Sho (Spring)	Turf Turf	2,000 3,200	I E
202	115	Asian Winds (JPN)	4	F	JPN	1st	Victoria Mile	Turf	1,600	M
202	115	Awesome Gem (USA)	5	G	USA	3rd	San Antonio Handicap	Artificial	1,811	M
202	115	Bankable (IRE)	4	C	GB	2nd 2nd	Steventon Stakes Celebration Mile	Turf Turf	2,017 1,609	I M
202	115	Bannaby (FR)	5	H	SPA	1st	Prix du Cadran	Turf	4,000	E
202	115	Black Seventeen (USA)	4	C	USA	1st	Vosburgh Stakes	Dirt	1,207	S
202	115	Blue Monday (GB)	7	G	GB	1st	Arc Trial	Turf	2,217	L
202	115	Bullish Luck (USA)	9	G	HK	1st 3rd	Centenary Vase Hong Kong Gold Cup	Turf Turf	1,800 2,000	M I
202	115	Carriage Trail (USA)	5	M	USA	1st	Spinster Stakes	Artificial	1,811	M
202	115	Casino Prince (AUS)	4	C	AUS	1st 3rd 2nd 3rd	Chipping Norton Stakes George Ryder Stakes Doncaster Handicap All Aged Stakes	Turf Turf Turf Turf	1,600 1,500 1,600 1,400	M M M M
202	115	Casual Pass (AUS)	8	G	AUS	2nd	Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes	Turf	1,600	M
202	115	Cat Junior (USA)	3	C	GB	4th 4th 2nd	St. James's Palace Stakes Prix Jean Prat Challenge Stakes	Turf Turf Turf	1,609 1,600 1,408	M M M
202	115	Champs Elysees (GB)	5	H	USA	8th 1st	Breeders' Cup Classic Hollywood Turf Cup	Artificial Turf	2,012 2,414	I L
202	115	Coastal Path (GB)	4	C	FR	1st	Prix Vicomtesse Vigier	Turf	3,100	E
202	115	Dearest Trickski (USA)	4	F	USA	1st	A Gleam Handicap	Artificial	1,408	S
202	115	Dynaforce (USA)	5	M	USA	1st	Flower Bowl Invitational Stakes	Turf	2,012	I
202	115	Egerton (GER)	7	H	GER	1st	Hansa-Preis	Turf	2,400	L
202	115	Eremein (AUS)	6	G	AUS	1st	Festival Stakes (AUS)	Turf	1,500	M
202	115	Field Rouge (JPN)	6	H	JPN	1st	Kawasaki Kinen	Dirt	2,100	I
202	115	Fleeting Spirit (IRE)	3	F	GB	1st	Temple Stakes	Turf	1,006	S
202	115	Floatyourboat (SAF)	5	G	SAF	5th 6th	J&B Met Astrapak 1900	Turf Turf	2,000 1,900	I I
202	115	Floral Pegasus (AUS)	5	H	HK	2nd 2nd 7th	Stewards' Cup Hong Kong Gold Cup Dubai Duty Free	Turf Turf Turf	1,600 2,000 1,777	M I M
202	115	Folk Opera (IRE)	4	F	GB	1st 1st	Prix Jean Romanet E. P. Taylor Stakes	Turf Turf	2,000 2,012	I I
202	115	Gagnoa (IRE)	3	F	FR	2nd	Prix de Diane	Turf	2,100	I
202	115	Gayego (USA)	3	C	USA	1st	Arkansas Derby	Dirt	1,811	M
202	115	Gio Ponti (USA)	3	C	USA	1st 2nd	Virginia Derby Jamaica Handicap	Turf Turf	2,012 1,811	I M
202	115	Grasshopper (USA)	4	C	USA	2nd	New Orleans Handicap	Dirt	1,811	M
202	115	Happy Boy (BRZ)	4	C	BRZ	1st	Al Maktoum Challenge R1	Dirt	1,600	M
202	115	High Rock (IRE)	3	C	FR	1st 4th	Prix La Force Prix du Jockey Club	Turf Turf	2,000 2,100	I I
202	115	Idiot Proof (USA)	4	C	USA	2nd	Dubai Golden Shaheen	Dirt	1,200	S
202	115	Inspector (TUR)	4	C	TUR	1st	Bosphorus Cup	Turf	2,400	L
202	115	Jalil (USA)	4	C	UAE	1st	Al Maktoum Challenge R3	Dirt	2,000	I
202	115	Kings Gambit (SAF)	3	G	SAF	1st	South African Classic	Turf	1,800	M
202	115	Littorio (AUS)	4	G	AUS	3rd	Underwood Stakes	Turf	1,800	M
202	115	Lucarno (USA)	4	C	GB	1st	Princess of Wales's Stakes	Turf	2,414	L
202	115	Lucky Island (ARG)	4	C	USA	1st	Tom Fool Handicap	Dirt	1,408	S
202	115	Magnus (AUS)	5	H	AUS	2nd 2nd 4th 2nd	Oakleigh Plate Newmarket Handicap The Galaxy KrisFlyer International Sprint	Turf Turf Turf Turf	1,100 1,200 1,100 1,200	S S S S
202	115	Maraahel (IRE)	7	H	GB	2nd	Brigadier Gerard Stakes	Turf	2,018	I
202	115	Master O'Reilly (NZ)	6	G	AUS	4th	Melbourne Cup	Turf	3,200	E
202	115	Mauralakana (FR)	5	M	USA	1st	Beverly D. Stakes	Turf	1,911	I
202	115	Mistical Plan	4	F	USA	1st	Princess Rooney Handicap	Dirt	1,207	S
202	115	Muhannak (IRE)	4	G	GB	1st	Breeders' Cup Marathon	Artificial	2,414	L
202	115	Murtajill (AUS)	3	C	AUS	2nd	All Aged Stakes	Turf	1,400	M
202	115	Nahoodh (IRE)	3	F	GB	1st	Falmouth Stakes	Turf	1,609	M
202	115	Never Bouchon (JPN)	5	H	JPN	7th	Japan Cup	Turf	2,400	L
202	115	Nom du Jeu (NZ)	3 4 4 4	C	NZ	1st 2nd 3rd 2nd	Australian Derby Stoney Bridge Stakes Kelt Capital Stakes Caulfield Cup	Turf Turf Turf Turf	2,400 1,600 2,040 2,400	L M I L
202	115	Orange County (NZ)	6	G	AUS	1st	Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes	Turf	1,400	M
202	115	Osumi Grass One (JPN)	6	H	JPN	7th	Tenno Sho (Autumn)	Turf	2,000	I
202	115	Paratroopers (AUS)	5	G	AUS	1st	Expressway Stakes	Turf	1,200	S
202	115	Past the Point (USA)	4	C	USA	2nd	Woodward Stakes	Dirt	1,811	M
202	115	Presious Passion (USA)	5	G	USA	1st	United Nations Stakes	Turf	2,213	L
202	115	Prospect Wells (FR)	3	C	FR	2nd	Grand Prix de Paris	Turf	2,400	L
202	115	Pyro (USA)	3	C	USA	1st 2nd	Northern Dancer Stakes Jim Dandy Stakes	Dirt Dirt	1,710 1,811	M M
202	115	Red Ruler (NZ)	4	G	NZ	2nd	Kelt Capital Stakes	Turf	2,040	I
202	115	Rob Roy (USA)	6	H	GB	5th	Eclipse Stakes	Turf	2,018	I
202	115	Sanziro (AUS)	6	G	HK	3rd	KrisFlyer International Sprint	Turf	1,200	S
202	115	Seachange (NZ)	5	M	NZ	1st	Telegraph Handicap	Turf	1,200	S
202	115	Shinzig (AUS)	6	H	AUS	1st	C. F. Orr Stakes	Turf	1,400	M
202	115	Sixties Icon (GB)	5	H	GB	1st 1st	Festival Stakes (GB) Geoffrey Freer Stakes	Turf Turf	1,986 2,671	I L
202	115	Smooth Air (USA)	3	C	USA	7th	Breeders' Cup Classic	Artificial	2,012	I
202	115	Soldier's Dancer (USA)	4	G	USA	1st	Miami Mile Handicap	Turf	1,609	M
202	115	Spirit of Tara (AUS)	6	H	AUS	4th	The BMW	Turf	2,400	L
202	115	Spring House (USA)	6	G	USA	1st	San Luis Obispo Handicap	Turf	2,414	L
202	115	Stotsfold (GB)	5	G	GB	1st	Winter Hill Stakes	Turf	2,018	I
202	115	Strike a Deal (USA)	4	C	USA	1st	Red Smith Handicap	Turf	2,213	L
202	115	Sub Rose (IRE)	3	F	FR	1st	Prix de Royaumont	Turf	2,400	L
202	115	Sudan (IRE)	5	H	USA	4th	Man o' War Stakes	Turf	2,213	L
202	115	Swick (NZ)	6 7	G	AUS	2nd 1st	Lightning Stakes Patinack Farm Classic	Turf Turf	1,000 1,200	S S
202	115	Tariq (GB)	4	C	GB	3rd	Lockinge Stakes	Turf	1,609	M
202	115	Theseo (AUS)	5	G	AUS	2nd 1st 1st	George Main Stakes Epsom Handicap Mackinnon Stakes	Turf Turf Turf	1,600 1,600 2,000	M M I
202	115	Thorn Song (USA)	5	H	USA	1st	Shadwell Turf Mile Stakes	Turf	1,609	M
202	115	Tuesday Joy (NZ)	4	F	AUS	1st	The BMW	Turf	2,400	L
202	115	Typhoon Zed (AUS)	5	G	AUS	1st	Manikato Stakes	Turf	1,200	S
202	115	Valdino (GER)	3	G	GER	1st	Deutsches St. Leger	Turf	2,800	E
202	115	Viewed (AUS)	5	H	AUS	1st	Melbourne Cup	Turf	3,200	E
202	115	Visionaire (USA)	3	C	USA	1st	King's Bishop Stakes	Dirt	1,408	S
202	115	Visit (GB)	3	F	GB USA	3rd 3rd	Sun Chariot Stakes Matriarch Stakes	Turf Turf	1,609 1,609	M M
202	115	Wanderin Boy (USA)	7	H	USA	2nd	Jockey Club Gold Cup	Dirt	2,012	I
202	115	War Artist (AUS)	4	G	GB	2nd 2nd 3rd	Duke of York Stakes Golden Jubilee Stakes July Cup	Turf Turf Turf	1,207 1,207 1,207	S S S
202	115	War Pass (USA)	3	C	USA	2nd	Wood Memorial Stakes	Dirt	1,811	M

Top ranked horses

The following table shows the top ranked horses overall, the top three-year-olds, the top older horses and the top fillies and mares in the 2008 Rankings. It also shows the leading performers in various subdivisions of each group, which are defined by the distances of races, and the surfaces on which they are run.^[5]

All Horses
	All Surfaces		Dirt / Artificial		Turf
All Distances	130	Curlin New Approach	130	Curlin	130	New Approach
Sprint	123	Midnight Lute Sacred Kingdom	123	Midnight Lute	123	Sacred Kingdom
Mile	130	Curlin	130	Curlin	127	Raven's Pass
Intermediate	130	Curlin New Approach	130	Curlin	130	New Approach
Long	128	Zarkava	118	Da' Tara	128	Zarkava
Extended	122	Conduit Septimus Yeats		not listed	122	Conduit Septimus Yeats
Three-Year-Olds
	All Surfaces		Dirt / Artificial		Turf
All Distances	130	New Approach	129	Raven's Pass	130	New Approach
Sprint	122	Weekend Hussler [6]	119	Fatal Bullet	122	Weekend Hussler
Mile	127	Raven's Pass	122	Big Brown	127	Raven's Pass
Intermediate	130	New Approach	129	Raven's Pass	130	New Approach
Long	128	Zarkava	118	Da' Tara	128	Zarkava
Extended	122	Conduit		not listed	122	Conduit
Older Horses
	All Surfaces		Dirt / Artificial		Turf
All Distances	130	Curlin	130	Curlin	127	Duke of Marmalade
Sprint	123	Midnight Lute Sacred Kingdom	123	Midnight Lute	123	Sacred Kingdom
Mile	130	Curlin	130	Curlin	124	Good Ba Ba
Intermediate	130	Curlin	130	Curlin	127	Duke of Marmalade
Long	126	Duke of Marmalade	115	Muhannak	126	Duke of Marmalade
Extended	122	Septimus Yeats		not listed	122	Septimus Yeats
Fillies and Mares
	All Surfaces		Dirt / Artificial		Turf
All Distances	128	Zarkava	125	Zenyatta	128	Zarkava
Sprint	118	Ventura	118	Ventura	115	African Rose Fleeting Spirit Seachange
Mile	125	Goldikova Zenyatta	125	Zenyatta	125	Goldikova
Intermediate	125	Zarkava	118	Ginger Punch Hystericalady Music Note Proud Spell	125	Zarkava
Long	128	Zarkava		not listed	128	Zarkava
Extended		not listed		not listed		not listed

Guide

A complete guide to the main table above.

Rank A horse's position in the list, with the most highly rated at number 1. Each horse is ranked once according to its highest rating. Any lesser ratings for the same horse are not ranked. Rating A rating represents a weight value in pounds, with higher values given to horses which showed greater ability. It is judged that these weights would equalise the abilities of the horses if carried in a theoretical handicap race. The minimum rating required for inclusion is 115. Horse Each horse's name is followed by a suffix (from the IFHA's International Code of Suffixes) which indicates the country foaled.[7] Age The age of the horse at the time it achieved its rating. The racing ages of all horses foaled in a particular part of the world increase simultaneously, regardless of the actual date of foaling.[8] Dates of age increase by location foaled Northern Hemisphere 1 January South America 1 July Australia, New Zealand and South Africa 1 August Sex C Colt Ungelded male horse up to four-years-old F Filly Female horse up to four-years-old H Horse Ungelded male horse over four-years-old M Mare Female horse over four-years-old G Gelding Gelded male horse of any age Trained The country where the horse was trained at the time of the rating, abbreviated using the International Code of Suffixes.[7] Position The horse's finishing position in the race shown. The actual finishing order can sometimes be amended following an inquiry or a disqualification. = Dead-heat ↑ Promoted from original finishing position ↓ Relegated from original finishing position Race The race (or one of the races) for which the horse achieved its rating. A defeated horse can be rated above its higher-placed opponents if it carried more weight. Surface The surface of the track on which the race was run, eg. turf or dirt. Synthetic surfaces are described as "artificial".

Distance The distance of the race in metres. In some countries (eg. Canada, Great Britain, Ireland and the United States), the length of a race is usually expressed in miles and furlongs. These units have been converted to metres to allow for universal comparison. Common conversions 5 furlongs = 1,006 m 1 mile and 1½ furlongs = 1,911 m 6 furlongs = 1,207 m 1 mile and 2 furlongs = 2,012 m 6½ furlongs = 1,308 m 1 mile and 2½ furlongs = 2,112 m 7 furlongs = 1,408 m 1 mile and 3 furlongs = 2,213 m 7½ furlongs = 1,509 m 1 mile and 4 furlongs = 2,414 m 1 mile = 1,609 m 1 mile and 6 furlongs = 2,816 m 1 mile and ½ furlong = 1,710 m 2 miles = 3,219 m 1 mile and 1 furlong = 1,811 m 2 miles and 4 furlongs = 4,023 m Category Metres Furlongs S Sprint 1,000–1,300 1,000–1,599 (CAN / USA) 5–6.5 5–7.99 (CAN / USA) M Mile 1,301–1,899 1,600–1,899 (CAN / USA) 6.51–9.49 8–9.49 (CAN / USA) I Intermediate 1,900–2,100 9.5–10.5 L Long 2,101–2,700 10.51–13.5 E Extended 2,701+ 13.51+ International Code of Suffixes The following countries have been represented in the WTR as foaling or training locations since the first edition in 2004.[7] ARG Argentina ITY Italy AUS Australia JPN Japan BRZ Brazil KSA Saudi Arabia CAN Canada NZ New Zealand CHI Chile SAF South Africa CZE Czech Republic SIN Singapore FR France SPA Spain GB Great Britain TUR Turkey GER Germany UAE United Arab Emirates HK Hong Kong USA United States HUN Hungary VEN Venezuela IRE Ireland ZIM Zimbabwe Shading The shaded areas represent lesser ratings recorded by horses which were more highly rated in a different category. The IFHA publishes this information when the lower rating is the overall top performance in a particular category.

References

1. "2008 World Thoroughbred Rankings". International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities. 13 January 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
2. "2008 Press Release". International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities. 13 January 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
3. "Curlin, New Approach top World Rankings". thoroughbredtimes.com. 14 January 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
4. Cook, Chris (13 January 2009). "Shock as Approach is rated world's joint-top racehorse in 2008". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
5. "2008 Top Ranked Performers". International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities. 13 January 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
6. "Weekend Hussler is on top of the world". The Canberra Times. 14 January 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
7. "International Code of Suffixes". International Federation of Horse Racing Authorities. May 2010. Retrieved 6 March 2011.
8. "Weight-for-Age Scale". Godolphin. Retrieved 6 March 2011.