Beginner’s Guide to the 2026 Kentucky Derby
Forever Young and Sovereignty Tie as World's Best Dirt Racehorses in Longines Rankings
Racing
The ninth edition of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings are out, and recent Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Forever Young and leading U.S. 3-year-old Sovereignty are both rated as the best dirt racehorses in training with a rating of 127.
The pair are tied with Daryz and Field of Gold as the third-highest rated horses in training globally, behind Calandagan in first with a 130 rating and Ombudsman in second with a 128 rating. Those four European-based horses compete on turf. Calandagan defeated Ombudsman by 2 ½ lengths in the QIPCO Champion Stakes last month at Ascot, while Daryz won the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe at Longchamp, also in October. Field of Gold boasts two Group 1 wins on turf in 2025.
Sierra Leone, runner-up to Japan-based Forever Young in the Breeders’ Cup Classic Nov. 1 at Del Mar, is tied with three overseas racehorses in seventh with a 126 rating.
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LONGINES World’s Best Racehorse Rankings Leading Horses |
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Rank |
Horse |
Rating |
Trained |
|
1 |
CALANDAGAN (IRE) |
130 |
FR |
|
2 |
OMBUDSMAN (IRE) |
128 |
GB |
|
3 |
DARYZ (FR) |
127 |
FR |
|
3 |
FIELD OF GOLD (IRE) |
127 |
GB |
|
3 |
FOREVER YOUNG (JPN) |
127 |
JPN |
|
3 |
SOVEREIGNTY (USA) |
127 |
USA |
|
7 |
DELACROIX (IRE) |
126 |
IRE |
|
7 |
KA YING RISING (NZ) |
126 |
HK |
|
7 |
ROMANTIC WARRIOR (IRE) |
126 |
HK |
|
7 |
SIERRA LEONE (USA) |
126 |
USA |