Golden Horn (pictured winning the world's best race, the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe) was yesterday officially recognised as last season's European Champion and the world's best turf runner with a rating of 130 on the world's best racehorse rankings.
The thrilling victor of four G1s is just about to embark on his new career at Dalham Hall Stud at a fee of £60,000. The son of Cape Cross, led home a 1-2-3 for Darley stallions in the European three-year-old middle distance category with Jack Hobbs (Halling) in second with New Bay (Dubawi) in third.
Standing alongside Golden Horn for his first European season is Brazen Beau (£10,000) and the multiple Australian G1 winner was allotted a rating of 121, making him the world's second-best sprinting colt of 2015. Joining him of the roster for the first time are fellow reverse shuttlers Hallowed Crown and Shooting To Win, both standing at a fee of of €7,000 at Kildangan Stud in Ireland, and they were given ratings of 117 and 115 respectively.
Another new retiree to Ireland is Night Of Thunder (€30,000) and he added to his 2,000 Guineas victory in 2015 in the Lockinge Stakes at Newbury. Awarded a rating of 118, no European four-year-old miler was higher. Also new to France is another son of Dubawi in Hunter's Light, standing on Darley's new Club terms. He was allotted a 119 rating thanks to his wide-margin victory in the G1 Jebel Hatta in Dubai.
The progeny of Darley stallions also had a fruitful year with Hong Kong star Able Friend (Shamardal) recognised as the both world's best sprinter, and the world's best turf miler alongside Singspiel's superb son Solow, the winner of five G1's in an amazing season.
Manduro, whose first French-conceived crop race for him this season, had a stellar year in France through his three-year-old son Vazirabad, their Champion stayer and third best three-year-old (behind New Bay), and his unbeaten son Ultra, France's Champion juvenile. Manduro will be standing this season at a fee of €7,000.
Alongside Manduro in France is Authorized (€10,000) and his son Hartnell, the winner of the G1 BMW, was the leading Australian-trained middle distance performer of 2015.
