York Racecourse is delighted that its flagship race, the Group 1 Juddmonte International, has been confirmed as the best race in Great Britain, following the announcement by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, newly known as the Longines World Rankings.

The Juddmonte International is York’s flagship race and the feature of the opening day of the Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival and has been ranked number one of all thoroughbred horse races across the country.

Indeed, it is ranked as the third best race in the world, narrowly behind The Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe that is staged in Paris and the Breeders’ Cup Classic which headlines the US racing calendar.

To earn this number one status, the official performance ratings - allocated by the International Panel of Thoroughbred Handicappers of the first four horses past the Knavesmire winning post over the last three seasons - were assessed to give the ratings.  This concluded that star horses such as Arabian Queen and Golden Horn from 2015 as well as Australia (2014), local hero The Grey Gatsby and the 2013 champion, Declaration of War; combined to provide the strongest race in the land.

The Juddmonte International has benefited from consistent investment and support by long-standing sponsor, Juddmonte Farms and owner, HH Prince Khalid Abdullah. 

Lord Grimthorpe, who is able to offer a unique perspective on the race, as both York Racecourse Chairman and Racing Manager for Juddmonte Farms, said, “York is particularly grateful to Prince Khalid whose long-term support of the race has seen wins for both Twice Over and Frankel in recent years. I am delighted that the ratings have again confirmed the global stature of this great race.”

Summing up the achievement, William Derby, Chief Executive and Clerk of the Course said, “This is a fantastic endorsement of the quality of racing at York.  For the Juddmonte International, our flagship race, to be officially ranked number one in Britain and indeed third in the world is a tremendous tribute to everyone associated with York Racecourse and Juddmonte Farms.  We remain hugely grateful and appreciative of the support we receive from so many individuals and organisations in helping stage top quality racing at York.  Having featured so strongly in these rankings is a huge accolade for York, Yorkshire and British racing and we are determined to keep building on this award and to keep delivering fantastic racing action, facilities and experience at York into the future.”

Juddmonte International Stakes – past three years - placings

2013:  1 - Declaration of War; 2 - Trading Leather; 3 - Al Kazeem; 4 – Hillstar.
2014:  1 - Australia; 2 - The Grey Gatsby; 3 - Telescope; 4 – Mukhadram.
2015  1- Arabian Queen; 2- Golden Horn; 3- The Grey Gatsby; 4- Time Test