Pattern Racing World Championships 2020
March 21, 2021
In celebration of the return of the flat season here in Ireland, we reflect on the Group 1 and Grade 1 action across the world in 2020 seen through the prism of the Pattern Racing World Championships.
2020 was a strange year where there was little to see with the naked eye. The majority of us never got to a racecourse, never got to see a horse in the flesh however the pattern race program at G1 level was largely completed. 288 Group 1 or Grade 1’s were run in 2020 compared to 312 in 2019 and 314 in 2018.
Here we present the results of the 2020 Championships.
Each Flat Group 1 or Grade 1 carries 22 points, 10 for a win, 7 for second place and 5 for third place. There are 6 categories, Horse, Sire, Jockey, Trainer, Owner and Breeder.
Horse Championship 2020
| Position | Name | Points Won |
| 1 | Verry Elleegant | 61 |
| 2 | Magical | 54 |
| 3 | Authentic | 44 |
Verry Elleegant topped the standing in 2020 with 61 points posting 7 places, 4 wins and 3 seconds. She’s a mare you mightn’t be too familiar with here in the northern hemisphere, she’s trained in Australia by Chris Waller. She improved all through the year winning the Tancred Stakes in her autumn and then putting a trio of G1 wins together in her spring with her highlight being the last, the win in the Caulfield Cup where she beat the 2019 Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck. Expect to hear a great deal about her this year as ambitious plans including Royal Ascot and a tilt at the Arc are on the agenda.
She beat last year’s winner Magical who topped her own points total with 54 as opposed to 51 last year. It vindicated the decision to keep her in training, like Verry Elleegant, she posted 7 places. 3 wins, 2 second and 2 thirds, her highlight being the repeat win in the Irish Champion Stakes when she turned over the International result at York with Ghaiyyath.
In third was Authentic on 44 points, Bob Baffert’s three-year-old posted 3 wins and 2 seconds. He took the Haskel Invitational, Kentucky Derby and Breeders’ Cup Classic giving his many owners, through Myracehorse Stable one hell of a ride through the season.
Sire Championship 2020
| Position | Name | Points Won |
| 1 | Galileo | 343 |
| 2 | Deep Impact | 238 |
| 3 | Into Mischief | 128 |
Once again it was Galileo on top accumulating 343 points, short of the 387 scored last year but still well ahead of the 244 in 2018. 47 places at the top table, 14 wins, 19 seconds and 14 thirds. He sired 11 individual G1 winners, all bar two trained by Aidan O’Brien, Magic Attitude took the Belmont Oaks for Arnaud Delacour and Search for A Song, the Irish St Leger for Dermot Weld. Ballydoyle had the Derby winner in Serpentine and multiple G1 winners, Love, she took the 1000 Guineas, Oaks and Yorkshire Oaks as well as Magical who also won the Pretty Poly prior to her Irish Champion Stakes win.
Deep Impact was second on 238 points an improvement on his third in 2019, 209 points. His death during the year is a huge loss to world racing and in particular the Japanese racing industry. He posted 34 places at G1 level, 10 wins, 9 seconds and 15 thirds. He produced one of the great surprises of the year when his son Roger Barows took the Tokyo Yushun (Japanese Derby) at a price of 92/1.
Into Mischief was third on 128 points, 17 places at Grade 1 level, 7 wins, 4 seconds and 6 thirds. His wins came courtesy of the 3 won by Authentic, another 3 won by Gamine and another by Dayoutoftheoffice.
Jockey Championship 2020
| Position | Name | Points Won |
| 1 | Ryan Moore | 231 |
| 2 | Joel Rosario | 197 |
| 3 | Luis Saez | 178 |
Ryan Moore took top spot winning 231 points bettering his second of 2019 when scoring 256 points and his third of the year before, 210 points. He posted 33 places, 8 wins, 13 seconds and 12 thirds. He was on Love for her trio of wins and also partnered Circus Maximus and Mogul for Ballydoyle. He was also in the saddle for Donnacha O’Brien on Fancy Blue and Shale for their G1 wins and he also rode Danon Smash to victory for Japanese trainer Takayuki Yasuda in the Hong Kong Sprint.
In second amassing 197 points was Joel Rosario, third in 2019 on 207 points and the winner in 2018 with 232 points. Joel had 26 placings, 11 wins, 6 seconds and 9 thirds. He partnered 10 individual winners with Jackie’s Warrior winning twice at Grade 1 level.
Luis Saez proved to be the up and coming jockey of the year. A third place on 178 points was a massive step up on 27th place in 2019 with 72 points. He posted posting 23 places, 9 wins, 9 seconds and 5 thirds. He partnered 8 individual winners with Essential Quality providing a brace at Grade 1 level.
Trainer Championship 2020
| Position | Name | Points Won |
| 1 | Aidan O’Brien | 402 |
| 2 | Bob Baffert | 251 |
| 3 | Chris Waller | 245 |
Once again Aidan O’Brien is the winner as he was in 2019 and 2018. A haul of 402 points compares with his 2019 total of 487 points and 424 points of 2018. He posted 57 places, 15 wins, 21 seconds and 21 thirds. To the exploits of Love, Magical and Serpentine you can add wins for the three-year-olds, Santigo, Mogul, and Order Of Australia plus a pair of juvenile successes with St Mark’s Basilica and Van Gogh.
Bob Baffert was second, an improvement on his sixth in 2019. He accumulated 251 points, posting 30 places, 17 wins, 8 seconds and 5 thirds. The trainer of the triple-winning three-year-olds Authentic and Gamine, he also was responsible for another triple Grade 1 winner with the four-year-old Improbable who only found Authentic too good in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Chris Waller in Australia was third with 245 points, a place he also occupied in 2019, 232 points, and 2018 when he won 296 points. His tally of 34 places was 9 wins, 15 seconds and 10 thirds. Let’s hope we see his star mare Verry Elleegant in front of crowds this summer in the northern hemisphere.
Owner Championship 2020
| Position | Name | Points Won |
| 1 | Coolmore Syndicate | 483 |
| 2 | Godolphin | 392 |
| 3 | Sunday Racing Co Ltd | 129 |
The Coolmore Syndicate were the winners with 483 points knocking their great rivals Godolphin off the top spot they’d held in 2019 and 2018. They didn’t break the 500 points mark as they had in 2019, 514 points, they came close in 2018 with 497 points. They posted 67 places, 20 wins, 24 seconds and 23 thirds. They of course have relied on their kingpin, Galileo responsible for 12 of their 20 wins. As well as Ballydoyle providing winners, Donnacha O’Brien with Fancy Blue, Ger Lyons with Even So and down under Tom Dabernig and Ben Hayes with Personal also contributed to their tally.
Godolphin will be a bit sore to have been knocked off the perch. A score of 392 points was well off the 514 won in 2019 and short of 2018 total of 506 points. They posted 52 places, 18 wins, 21 seconds and 13 thirds. No doubt there most cherished asset now is Ghaiyyath, a triple Group 1 winner now retired to stud, no doubt he’ll get their best mares to service.
Third on 129 points, was Sunday Racing Co Ltd, the Japanese outfit, fourth in 2019 with 98 points and fourth in 2018 with 78 points, this was a great step up. They posted 16 places, 9 wins, 2 seconds and 5 thirds. Chrono Genesis was their star performer, winner of the Arima Kinen.
Breeder Championship 2020
| Position | Name | Points Won |
| 1 | Godolphin | 259 |
| 2 | Northern Farm | 202 |
| 3 | Coolmore | 151 |
Godolphin hold top spot with 259 points which compares well to their 291 points won last year and their 144 points won in 2018. They posted 35 places, 21 wins, 17 seconds and 8 thirds.
In second was Japan’s Northern Farm with 202 points matching their position of last year, one better than in 2018 posting 29 places, 7 wins, 11 seconds and 11 thirds.
In third was Coolmore on 151 points, a considerable leap on 2020 when scoring 41 points when finishing joint 17th. They posted 19 places, 8 wins, 8 seconds and 3 thirds. It’s interesting that Coolmore are now so active as breeders in their own name having not appeared on the board at all in 2018.
I hope you enjoyed this reminder of what happened at G1 level in 2020. Congratulations to the winners and all who participated last year, scoring 5 points is in itself a wonderful achievement.
We look forward to doing it all again in 2021.
