Yet another successful weekend at The Curragh means Aidan O’Brien has finally overhauled Charlie Appleby to reclaim world #1 spot at the head of Thoroughbred Racing Commentary’s Global Rankings for trainers.
With Ryan Moore holding the #1 position for jockeys, the Ballydoyle team are reaping the rewards for a European summer of high achievement headed by the dual Derby success of Auguste Rodin.
O’Brien (#1 from #2, +51pt) bagged the 101st European Classic of his career when Epsom runner-up Savethelastdance (#49 from #169, +169pt) produced an extraordinary Irish Oaks victory from a highly unpromising position.
“We were in a bit of trouble,” said Moore after overhauling Bluestocking by a half-length on soft ground. “She stays very well, though, and she’s still learning.”
Emily Dickinson (#125 from #553, +229pt) added the G2 Curragh Cup for good measure – enough for O’Brien to reclaim pole position for the first time since May 2019. Indeed, while this is the 499th of our trainers’ rankings, only five names have ever reached the top of the tree: Chad Brown (158 weeks), Aidan O’Brien (154 weeks), Todd Pletcher (109 weeks), Charlie Appleby (67 weeks) and Chris Waller (11 weeks).
O’Brien has a TRC Performance Index of 2711pt which evaluates the performance of all his runners (in races of Group/Graded standard) over a rolling three-year period. His highest index is 3570pt in October 2017. For comparison, in the three-year period before that he had sent out 65 G1 winners globally and a total of 147 winners of races we consider Group/Graded standard.
Over the same period ending this week, he has 47 G1 winners and 125 Group/Graded winners in total. This reflects the fact he is far less dominant than six years ago, since when Godolphin have raised their performance level via Appleby.
However, while the Godolphin trainer continues to produce winners at a lower level and has been speaking in glowing terms of his two-year-olds, it is thin gruel in Group races this term and his relative lack of success has resulted in losing his #1 position.
O’Brien’s performance goes hand-in-hand with that of his stable rider Ryan Moore. The latter returned to #1 in the jockey standings three weeks ago, following a highly successful stint. This is now the 146th week when both O’Brien and Moore have headed the list, making them by far the most common trainer-jockey pairing, followed by Todd Pletcher and John Velazquez (78 weeks).
Races have counted towards the TRC standings since 2011, with rankings calculated beginning in 2014. O’Brien’s most successful horses in this epoch have been Magical (11 wins, 7 at G1), Highland Reel (9 wins, 7 at G1) and Minding (8 wins, 7 at G1).
Ranked by career-best TRC Computer Race Ratings, however, the top three are Minding (131) and So You Think (129). This year, Paddington (3 career wins at G1, including Coral-Eclipse at Sandown) and Auguste Rodin (3 career wins at G1, including Derby at Epsom) are his flagbearers, with a host of younger talent to supplement his arsenal, notably G2 Superlative Stakes winner City Of Troy.
Elsewhere, Nest’s decisive victory over multiple G1 winner Clairiere on her belated seasonal debut at Saratoga in the G2 Shuvee sees last year’s US champion three-year-old filly re-enter the charts at #17.
Haskell winner Geaux Rocket Ride comes in at #83, still below his Monmouth victim Mage (#67 from #88, +40pt).
• Unlike traditional methods of racehorse rankings, TRC Global Rankings are a measure of an individual’s level of achievement over a rolling three-year period, providing a principled hierarchy of the leading horses, jockeys, trainers, owners and sires using statistical learning techniques. Racehorse rankings can be compared to similar exercises in other sports, like the golf’s world rankings or the ATP rankings in tennis.
They are formulated from the last three years of races we consider Group or Graded class all over the world and update automatically each week according to the quality of a horse’s performances and their recency, taking into account how races work out.
‘Big, ignorant thug’ – Shaquille storms up the rankings with second G1 success in July Cup
Eclipse winner Paddington up to #4 on world rankings
Ryan Moore back on top of the world as #1 jockey
View the latest TRC Global Rankings for horses / jockeys / trainers / sires