Equinox is Named the World's Best Racehorse for 2023

Insights on Equinox and the Japan Cup

Yonemoto, Equinox's owner, reflected on the horse's achievements and the Japan Cup's growth and success as a top-flight international race. It was established in 1981.

"Every race he had was very impressive, but I'd like to say Dubai was great," Yonemoto was quoted as saying by bloodhorse.com. "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."

Yonemoto continued: "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."

Equinox, who retired with eight wins and two runner-up finishes in 10 career races, received a top rating of 135 for 2023.In a short post on X (formerly Twitter), Lemaire acknowledged that Tuesday's announcement for Equinox's award is quite meaningful to him.

"Can't be more happy for Equinox being awarded as the [world's] best horse and for enjoying a day in London for the occasion," Lemaire wrote.

Heart's Cry-sired Just A Way was the first Japanese thoroughbred to be crowned the World's Best Racehorse for his extraordinary success in 2014, which included winning that year's G1 Dubai Duty Free by six lengths.

Determining the Best Horse and the Best Race

The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities utilizes the expertise of racing officials and international handicappers, who evaluate the performances of horses, to devise the points system.

Similarly, the IFHA determines the World's Best Horse Race. In a news release, the organization summarized how this is done. "The ratings of the top four finishers in each race serve as [a] basis for the assessment," read a passage in the report.

For 2023, the Japan Cup secured the year's top honor with a rating of 126.75. It marked the first time the Japan Cup was selected for the World's Best Horse Race Award.

Read about horse racing throughout the year on SportsLook.

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