Just a point separates the top two horses on the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings as European standout Baaeed with a 128 rating leads U.S. star Flightline (127) by the slimmest of margins.

Baaeed improved to 9-for-9 in his career and maintained his rating of 128 following his victory by 1 ¾ lengths in the Group 1 Qatar Sussex Stakes July 27 at Glorious Goodwood.  Earlier this year, Baaeed won the Group 1 Queen Anne Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Group 1 Al Shaqab Lockinge Stakes at Newbury. He is expected to compete in the Aug. 17 Juddmonte International Stakes at York.

Flightline remains the top-rated dirt horse in the sixth edition of the 2022 Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings for 3-year-olds and older that raced between Jan. 1, 2022, and Aug. 7, 2022. His lone start this year was a tour de force in the June 11 Hill ‘n’ Dale Metropolitan Handicap on the Belmont Stakes undercard. Flightline, like Baaeed unbeaten in his career, surged to a six-length win in the Met Mile, completing the distance in 1:33.59 for trainer John Sadler.

Life Is Good, another elite competitor in the older dirt male division in the United States, raised his rating to 125 from 124 with his win in the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes Aug. 6 at Saratoga Race Course. In that race, he defeated Happy Saver, Hot Rod Charlie (121), and Olympiad (120). Life Is Good also boasts victories this year in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes presented by 1/ST BET and Grade 2 John A. Nerud Stakes.

Pyledriver moved into the top five in the new edition of the World’s Best Racehorse Rankings with an impressive win July 24 at Ascot in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth QIPCO Stakes to earn a 124.

U.S.-based runners Jack Christopher and Speaker’s Corner are tied for seventh with ratings of 123, while Jackie’s Warrior raised his rating by one point to 122 with his two-length score in the Grade 1 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Handicap. Jackie’s Warrior is undefeated in four starts this year.