Moments after Equinox was named the Longines World’s Best Racehorse of 2023, his regular rider fielded what may have been the toughest question on a festive day when asked to describe Japan’s two-time Horse of the Year in one word.

After a great deal of thought, and a couple of starts and stops, jockey Christophe Lemaire landed on “superstar.”

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The challenge of putting words to such top-level horses may explain, in part, the long tradition of attempting to numerically characterize horse performance. The World’s Best Racehorse Award is determined by a committee of international handicappers to take on this task.

The committee would spend even more time than Lemaire in landing on a numeric description for for Equinox, who won his four 2023 starts — all at the Grade 1 or Group 1 level — by a combined margin of more than 10 lengths. The committee landed on 135, which is the highest rating ever awarded to a Japan-based runner or a Japan-bred runner.

Equinox’s season in terms of the World’s Best Ratings played out similarly to his races, when he often looks the winner throughout the early going thanks to his effortless stride, and then displays another gear to ensure that outcome. He moved to the top of the ratings following his turning the 10-horse Dubai Sheema Classic into what largely appeared to be about a workout in that test of about 1 1/2 miles. While he continued to top the ratings at 129 through Nov. 5, he would add six more points in the year’s final two months thanks to his November victory in the Japan Cup, scoring by four lengths in that loaded field going about 1 1/2 miles.

Nigel Gray, one of the handicappers on the committee, noted that they moved Equinox from 129 to 134 following that effort in which he defeated Japanese Triple Tiara winner Liberty Island; Stars on Earth, who won a pair of filly classics in 2022; 2022 Japanese Derby winner Do Deuce; Japan’s champion older horse of 2022 Titleholder; and 13 others. That would be the final career start for Equinox but he picked up another ratings point when Do Deuce, Stars on Earth, and Titleholder finished one-two-three in the Group 1 Arima Kinen Dec. 24 to further confirm the quality of the Japan Cup.

The depth of the Japan Cup field would see the race land the Longines World’s Best Horse Race of 2023 — the first time a race contested in Asia has landed that honor. If there was any drama remaining in the main ballroom Jan. 23 at London’s Savoy Hotel with a sizable representation of connections of Equinox, Japan Racing Association representatives, and Japanese media, the announcement of the Race of the Year would eliminate that. After all, Equinox had led through the Nov. 5 ratings and that award made it clear that since then he had added a four-length victory in the world’s top-rated race.

Christophe Lemaire, Masashi Yonemoto, and Tetsuya Kimura (twobytwo photo)

“Thank you very much for this amazing award,” said Masashi Yonemoto, CEO of Silks Racing, the horse’s owner. Through an interpreter, he went on to thank trainer Tetsuya Kimura and Lemaire before being asked about his favorite moment of the 2023 season. Just as Lemaire struggled to limit a superlative to one word, Yonemoto understandably struggled to select a single race. “Every race he had was very impressive but I’d like to say Dubai was great. We then had a very good summer and Equinox continued to improve and he entered the Japan Cup in perfect form. His supple, strong, and beautiful stride could be viewed in every race and absolutely fascinated everyone who watched him race.

“I’d like to thank the Japan Cup for being such a great race. It must not have been easy to develop such a great race for Japanese racing so I have a great respect for that.”

While Japan already connects with racing as much as any country in the world, an ownership arrangement that saw numerous partners behind Equinox only adds to that bond. Silk Racing is a large partnership group associated with the horse’s breeder, Northern Farm, that allows members to own a small percentage of the horse.

“Yes, it does help people connect. On the website they post every detail about what the horse is doing from the time they’re a yearling until they begin early training at 2 years old,” Yonemoto said. “Every aspect is reported to the people who are members and they truly love the horses and enjoy following along.”

Through a translator, Kimura said he marveled at the ability of Equinox, who typically maintains a calm demeanor, to gear up and focus on training and race days.

Equinox is the second Japan-based horse named best in the world, following Just A Way landing the honor in 2014. The final ratings point awarded following the Arima Kinen would put him alone at the top of Japan racing in that category as the previous high point had been achieved by 1999 Japan Horse of the Year El Condor Pasa, a Kentucky-bred who earned a 134 following a season that saw him win the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud and finish second in the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.

Japan’s Kazuhito Matano is one of three Asian representatives on the World’s Best Racehorse Rankings executive committee. The veteran committee member who is retiring from the committee role said he believes Equinox deserved his place atop Japan racing.

How is that for a superlative?

NOTABLE

• At Tuesday’s ceremony, Yonemoto, Kimura, and Lemaire were presented with Longines watches as well as a replica of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse vase, named Equus, by representatives of Longines and IFHA.
• After announcing the awards, the top 100-rated horses in the world were released by the IFHA. Rounding out the top five were Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner Ace Impact  and Juddmonte International winner Mostahdaf  who tied for second at 128; followed by Queen Elizabeth II Stakes winner Big Rock  and King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Hukum  tied for fourth at 127.
• The top-rated North American-based horses tied for 10th overall — and also tied as the top-rated dirt runners — as Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap winner Cody’s Wish and Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic winner White Abarrio each earned ratings of 124.
• The Japan Cup’s rating, based on the top four finishers, registered at 126.75. For good measure, the Dubai Sheema Classic, where Equinox competed outside Japan for the first time, finished second with a 126.5 rating. The United States did not land a race in the top 10 this year. The top-rated U.S. race was the Longines Breeders’ Cup Turf at Santa Anita Park, which ranked in a tie for 11th at 121.75.
• Masayoshi Yoshida, president of the Japan Racing Association, as well as Masayuki Goto, the JRA’s executive adviser of international affairs, were in London to accept the award for the World’s Best Race. They received an elegant Longines timepiece as well as a replica of the trophy, representing a proud horse head, on behalf of the JRA.