Thoroughbreds bred in the Cape made a considerable impression on the first edition of LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings for 2018.
All four of the South African bred horses to feature on the list were bred by Cape breeders.
Top rated of the SA breds on the LONGINES rankings is the Peter de Beyer bred Last Winter.
The 2018 G1 Sun Met runner up, who won four of six South African races and was second in both the Met and G2 Premier Trophy , received a rating of 119.
The colt is rated 10lbs below the joint top rated pair of Gun Runner and Winx.
Last Winter, a son of Lammerskraal Stud’s late champion sire Western Winter and Cape Fillies Guineas winner Field Flower, will now continue his career overseas.
Just behind Last Winter on the list came Mauritzfontein bred champion Marinaresco (who, like Last Winter is also embarking on an international campaign), recently sold Benmarne Stud bred Monks Hood, and the Normandy Stud bred G1 Betting World Cape Flying Championship hero Sergeant Hardy. The latter trio all received a rating of 118.
Marinaresco and Monks Hood are sons of Maine Chance Farms’ stallions Silvano and Querari respectively, while Sergeant Hardy is a gelded son of Klawervlei’s deceased champion sire Captain Al.
The 2018 LONGINES rankings cover the period from 1 January to March 11th, with the next edition of ratings due to be released on the 12th of April.