February 4, 2026
A Truly Global Championship
“Pattern Racing is no longer regional — it is decisively global.”
Delacroix and Christophe Soumillon return to the winners enclosure after winning the Irish Champion Stakes
Global Excellence, Measured Over a Full Year
Excellence Across the Entire Sport
The 2025 Pattern Racing Championships are now complete. They deliver a comprehensive and objective review of elite Thoroughbred racing across a full calendar year. Drawing on results from 304 Flat Group 1 and Grade 1 races worldwide, the Championships provide a truly global measure of sustained excellence at the highest level of the sport.
A data-driven review of 304 Group 1 & Grade 1 races worldwide — measuring excellence across horses, sires, jockeys, trainers, owners, and breeders.
🔢 Understanding the Numbers
- There were 304 Premier Flat Group 1 and Grade 1’s run across 11 Countries in 2025
- (65 dirt on Dirt, 239 on Turf)
- Here’s a list of the countries and the number of Grade 1 and Group 1 races in each jurisdiction, split between Dirt and Turf.
| Grade 1 and Group 1 Races | |||
| Country | Run On Dirt | Run On Turf | Grand Total |
| Australia | 0 | 76 | 76 |
| Canada | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| England | 0 | 38 | 38 |
| France | 0 | 28 | 28 |
| Germany | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Hong Kong | 0 | 12 | 12 |
| Ireland | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| Japan | 3 | 22 | 25 |
| Saudi Arabia | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| UAE | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| USA | 58 | 35 | 93 |
| Total | 65 | 239 | 304 |
“304 races. One global standard. Excellence measured over a full calendar year.”
Understanding the Scoring System
“Fair and Transparent “
Each of the 304 individual Grade 1 and Group 1 races is allotted 22 points.
- Winner 10 points
- Second 7 points
- Third 5 points
Points are accumulated over the year and presented in league format across six categories.
Understanding the Categories
“Excellence Across the Entire Sport”
- The Six Championship Categories
- Horses & Sires (The Genetic Legacy)
- Jockeys & Trainers (The Professional Excellence)
- Owners & Breeders (The Investment & Vision)
All categories are calculated using the same Group 1 and Grade 1 results, allowing excellence to be measured consistently across racing and breeding.
Consistency Defines the Champions
“The Championships reward sustained excellence, not isolated moments.”
It’s a structure that ensures consistency and performance determine championship success. With more than 300 top-level races spread across the globe, repeated elite-level performances are what prove decisive across all categories.
Let’s see it in Categories
“Six Categories, One Benchmark”
Pattern Racing Horse Championships
617 individual horses scored points in 2025
“It’s the horse that matters.”
The Podium Finish
Position | Horse Name | Total Points Won | Pattern Race Placings | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Horse Age | Trainer | Where Trained |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Via Sistina | 70 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 7yo | Chris Waller | Australia |
| 2 | Calandagan | 54 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 6yo | F-H Graffard | France |
| 3 | Journalism | 51 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3yo | Michael McCarthy | USA |
Via Sistina was the star down under; it was a wonderful year for the now-retired mare.
In 2024, she was second on 57 points. In 2025, she went one better, competing in 8 Group 1’s, coming 1st in 6, finishing 3rd in the other two. She matched the highest achievement, gaining the same points total as that other great Aussie great mare, Winx, who won 7 Group 1’s in 2018.
In March, she won the Verry Elleegant Stakes and Ranvet Stakes. In April, she won the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. In September, she was third in the Makybe Diva Stakes. In October, she was third in the Turnbull Stakes, then she cemented her place at the top table, winning a 2nd Cox Plate. In November, she finished off her career by taking her 2nd Champions Stakes.
Chris Waller trained both mares; he must have enormous affection in his heart for both of them.
Calandagan lit up the European season, a bridesmaid in his first two outings in the Sheema Classic and Coronation Cup, he then took four on the bounce, the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, the Champion Stakes, and then culminating in the first European win in the Japan Cup in 20 years. What a horse he is for his ever-rising trainer, Francois Henri Gaffard.
Journalism, the three-year-old, was the star in the USA. He won the Santa Anita Derby, the Preakness, and the Haskell Invitational and was also 2nd at Grade 1 level three other times.
Here’s the full table
Pattern Racing Sire Championships
286 Sires scored points in 2025
“It’s the sire that counts.”
The Podium Finish
Position | Sire Name | Total Points Won | Pattern Race Placings | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wootton Bassett | 246 | 33 | 11 | 13 | 9 |
| 2 | Frankel | 157 | 20 | 9 | 6 | 5 |
| 3 | Into Mischief | 151 | 18 | 11 | 3 | 4 |
Wootton Bassett was lost at the age of 17 to acute pneumonia in September; his loss to the breed is incalculable. He had 11 wins from 9 individuals. He produced classic winners, Camille Pissarro, Henri Matisse, and Whirl, and his exciting juveniles, Hawk Mountain, Puerto Rico, and Brussels, could well prove themselves to be classic winners in 2026.
Frankel had 9 Group 1 wins from 6 individuals, including the fabulous Minnie Hauk, who took the Oaks, Irish Oaks, and Yorkshire Oaks before being just touched off in the Arc.
Into Mischief offspring won 11 Grade 1’s from 5 individuals. His son Sovereignty won the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and the Travers.
Wootton Bassett and Frankel dominated the turf while Into Mischief dominated the dirt.
Here’s the full table
Pattern Racing Jockey Championships
191 jockeys scored points in 2025
“It’s all in the hands of the jockey.”
The Podium Finish
Position | Jockey Name | Total Points Won | Pattern Race Placings | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flavien Prat | 296 | 41 | 13 | 13 | 15 |
| 2 | James McDonald | 280 | 35 | 17 | 10 | 8 |
| 3 | Christophe Soumillon | 223 | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 |
Flavien Prat tops the league in 2025 with 296 points from 41 Placings. He was third last year with 264 points.
He won 13 Grade 1’s, remarkably on 13 different horses. He took the Maker’s Mark Mile on Carl Spackler, the La Troienne on Raging Sea, the American Turf Stakes on Zulu Kingdom, the Shoemaker Mile on King Of Gosford, the Belmont Oaks Invitational on Fionn, the Diana on Excellent Truth, the Whitney on Sierra Leone, the Sword Dancer on El Cordobes, the Del Mar Futurity on Brant, the Summer Stakes on Argos, the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Splendora, the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile on Nysos and the Matriarch on Segesta.
James McDonald matches last year’s 2nd place, winning 280 points with 35 placings. That included 17 wins. 6 came courtesy of Via Sistina in Australia, 3 were on Voyage Bubble, and 2 were above Romantic Warrior, both Hong Kong-based.
Christophe Soumillon had a great year, scoring 223 points. He was the chief beneficiary from the injury that ruled Ryan Moore out for much of the season; he won 3 for Francois Henri Gaffard and amassed 8 for Aidan O’Brien when Ryan was unavailable.
Here’s the full table.
Pattern Racing Trainer Championships
238 Trainers scored points in 2025
“It’s all about the preparation.”
The Podium Finish
Position | Trainer Name | Total Points Won | Pattern Race Placings | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | Training In |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aidan O’Brien | 479 | 61 | 26 | 22 | 13 | Ireland |
| 2 | Chris Waller | 349 | 48 | 15 | 17 | 16 | Australia |
| 3 | F-H Graffard | 234 | 30 | 14 | 7 | 9 | France |
Aidan O’Brien is once again to the fore, winning with 479 points, a winner also in 2024 on 380 points; he improved his winning total by a massive 99 points.
No doubt he’s the world’s top trainer.
He came close to matching his 2017 world record of 28 wins at the top level, scoring on 26 occasions. Fillies Minne Hauk and Whirl were star performers. Delacroix’s Eclipse win was the standout moment. 9 wins with his juveniles point to a terrific year ahead. Precise, and Puerto Rico were double G1 winners, Gstaad, True Love, Diamond Necklace, Hawk Mountain, and Pierre Bonnard were also winners at top level.
Chris Waller maintains his 2nd place with 349 points scored, an improvement on the 307 points scored in 2024. 15 wins with the 6 from Via Sistina the standout. Lady Shenandoah also won a pair, the Surround Stakes and the Coolmore Classic.
Francois Henri Gaffard had an incredible season, scoring 234 points. 14 wins, Calandagan’s exploits were supported by the likes of Zarigana taking the Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, Gezora taking the Prix de Diane Longines-French Oaks, and Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf, not to mention Daryz taking the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe.
Here’s the full table
Pattern Racing Owner Championships
430 Owners scored points in 2025
“No owners, No racing.”
The Podium Finish
Position | Owner Name | Total Points Won | Pattern Race Placings | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Coolmore Syndicate | 541 | 70 | 27 | 28 | 15 |
| 2 | Godolphin | 508 | 70 | 24 | 19 | 27 |
| 3 | Yu Long Investments | 165 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 6 |
The Coolmore Syndicate had a great year accumulating 541 points. In 2024, they were second to Godolphin with 469 points.
Placed in 70 Group/Grade 1’s (10 better than 2024), they won 27. Trainer George Boughey provided the first when Believing won the Al Qouz Sprint at Meydan. In the USA, Chad Brown won the Whitney at Saratoga with Sierra Leone.
The other 25 were all trained in Ballydoyle by Aidan O’Brien.
Godolphin will be pleased also. They beat their winning total of last year (505 in 2024), finishing with 24 wins. In Australia, James Cummings won 2, Chris Waller, Joseph Pride, Anthony and Sam Freedman, and Ciaron Maher won one each. In the States, Brad Cox and Bill Mott provided winners, the latter training Sovereignty to win the Kentucky Derby, Belmont Stakes, and Travers Stakes. In England, Charlie Appleby provided 9 with John and Thady Gosden winning 4 and Saeed bin Suroor winning 1.
Yu Long Investments jumped from eighth in 2024 to third in 2025, winning 165 points from 21 placings. 10 wins down under, with 6 coming courtesy of star Via Sistina and 3 from Treasurethe Moment, trained by Matt Laurie, with another from Devil Night, trained by Michael, Wayne and John Hawkes.
Here’s the full table
Pattern Racing Breeder Championships
441 Breeders scored points in 2025
“It’s vision that’s needed to succeed.”
The Podium Finish
Position | Breeder Name | Total Points Won | Pattern Race Placings | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Godolphin | 438 | 60 | 20 | 19 | 21 |
| 2 | Coolmore | 186 | 25 | 7 | 13 | 5 |
| 3 | Northern Farm | 182 | 22 | 12 | 6 | 4 |
Godolphin filled the top spot once again with 438 points from 60 placings, not quite matching their overall total of 2024 (441 points).
The Sheik Mohammed outfit had 20 wins from 12 individual sires. The highlights were Dubawi providing 5 (a pair with Notable Speech, the Woodbine Mile, and the Breeders’ Cup Mile (Turf)), a pair with Rebels Romance, the Grosser Preis Von Berlin, and the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Stakes, and 1 with Walk Of Stars, the Al Maktoum Challenge.
Also of note, Into Mischief (those 3 referred to earlier with Sovereignty), Too Darn Hot providing 2 (with Broadsiding), and Golden Horn also 2 (with Trawlerman).
Coolmore reversed placings with Japan’s Northern Farm from 2024, going second with 186 points, beating their 2024 total of 156 points. Their highlights will be homebred Lambourn, who won the Derby at Epsom and the Irish Derby at the Curragh, and Whirl, who won the Pretty Poly at the Curragh and Nassau Stakes at Goodwood.
Northern Farm dropped to third on 182 points; however, 12 wins up from 8 last year will be very satisfying. Museum Mile, winner of the Satsuki Sho – Japanese 2000 Guineas, finished off the year capturing one of Japan’s most prestigious Group 1 races, the Arima Kinen at Nayakama in December.
Here’s the full table
A Benchmark for the Modern Era
The completed 2025 Pattern Racing Championships stand as one of the most comprehensive global assessments of elite Thoroughbred racing available — and set the benchmark as attention turns toward 2026.
