American Pharoah named best in the world

American Pharoah, the 2015 Horse of the Year in the U.S., was named the World’s Best Racehorse on Tuesday at a ceremony in London sponsored by Longines.

American Pharoah became the first U.S.-based horse to top the world rankings of the International Federations of Horseracing Authorities since 2008, when Curlin took the award. Curlin won the Dubai World Cup that year, while American Pharoah did not race outside the U.S. in 2015.

On the rankings, which are based on a theoretical handicap, American Pharoah was rated at 134. Golden Horn, a British-bred 3-year-old colt, was ranked second at 130, while the U.S.-based Shared Belief, who died late last year, was co-ranked third at 126 with the French-bred filly Treve.

Last year, the highest-rated horse was Just A Way, a Japan-bred colt, at 130.

American Pharoah won seven of his eight starts as a 3-year-old, including all three races of the Triple Crown. He capped his career with a dominating performance in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He was retired to Ashford Stud following his Breeders’ Cup win.

On the domestic front, American Pharoah was named U.S. champion 3-year-old colt and Horse of the Year on Saturday night at the Eclipse Awards. Both votes were unanimous. It was the first time since John Henry in 1981 that a single horse received every Horse of the Year vote.

Zayat Stables, the colt’s owner and breeder, took the annual Eclipse awards for owner and breeder, and trainer Bob Baffert was named champion trainer.