After 312 Group/Grade 1’s we can announce this years winners in the Pattern Racing World Championships.

We have 6 categories now, Horse, Trainer, Jockey, Sire, Owner and Breeder.

Below are the top 5 in each category.

Remember – For a G1 placing You get 10 points for win, 7 for second and 5 for third.

1. Pattern Racing World Championship Category – Horse

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American Pharoah the Grand Slam winner is the Pattern Racing World Champion.

2015 was a vintage year with the first four home beating the winning score of 47 set in 2013 by Wise Dan and Beholder jointly and matched in 2014 by Kingman.

American Pharoah won 6 G1’s this year.

He added to his two Grade 1 juvenile wins by firstly taking the Arkansas Derby. He the won the American Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes. He followed up in the Haskell Invitational.

He was a tired horse in the Travers when beaten by Keen Ice but he was imperious at Keenland in the Breeders Cup Classic. Any doubts about the victory where he had 6 1/2 L to spare over the 100/1 shot Effenix were well and truly put to bed when Effinex went on to win the Clark Handicap next time out. Tonalist beaten 12 L at Keenland further franked the form when winning the Cigar Mile. Their victory’s meant in the Classic, American Pharoah had annihilated a field full of G1 winners.

It stamped him exceptional.

Golden Horn was also a true star. He may have lost to two fillies in Found who beat him in the Breeders Cup Turf and Arabian Queen in the International but an Epsom Derby, Coral Eclipse, Irish Champion Stakes and Prix de L’Arc De Triomphe proved him the best middle distance turf horse since Sea The Stars in 2009, a testament to his quality.

Solow was certainly the king miler. The five-year old who hadn’t won a G1 prior to 2015 started with the Dubai Turf and Prix d’Ispahan before stepping back in trip to add a trio of mile races in the Queen Anne, Sussex Stakes and QE11.

Criterion was the most versatile. He started the year running 3rd over 6.5f in the Canterbury Stakes and finished in the same place over 2 miles in the Melbourne Cup. In between he squeezed in 2 wins at home in Australia in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Caufield Stakes and also made trips to England for the Queen Anne and Hong Kong for the Cup.

Flintshire was also a world traveller winning the Sword Dancer at Saratoga running 2nd 4 times in the Sheema Classic, the Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud, The Arc and Hong Kong Vase. He was also 3rd in the Coronation Cup.

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2. Pattern Racing World Championship Category – Trainer

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Chris Waller is the Pattern Racing World Champion.

Chris pipped Aidan O’Brien a nose. That’s a reversal of last years first and second where Aidan’s winning total was 266. Both surpassed last years winning figure. Chris had 16 G1 winners, Aidan had 17. It was the placed efforts that separated the two, 12 seconds and 7 third places for Chris were the decider over Aidan’s 11 and 6. Winx was Chris’s top performer with 3 win’s and a second (37 points) while Found was Aidan’s best provider with 1 win and 4 seconds (38 points).

In America Todd Plecther won 15 G1’s placing him in the same position as last year where curlina was his top performer (37 points). Chad Brown’s star pupil was Big Blue Kitten (39 points) beat Bob Baffert for 4th, a reversal on last year who had American Pharoah (67 points).

All the top five bettered their totals of last year.

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3. Pattern Racing World Championship Category – Jockey

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Ryan Moore is the Pattern Racing World Champion.

The globe-trotting jockey won 15 G1 races across the world, England 5, Ireland 1, France 2, Hong Kong 2, Japan 1, USA 2, Canada 2. He was also was placed in Australia and Dubai. Found and Legatisimmo contributed 31 points each. His achievement is all the more incredible considering he was out of action for 11 weeks with a serious neck injury sustained on 9th July only making his comeback on the 24th September. He came back with a bang recording 11 of those wins on his return.

John Velazquez the 2013 champion improved on his third position of last year notching up 11 G1 victories. Javier Castellano improved a place to third with 15 winners while Joel Rosario, last years champion, fell to 4th. Frankie Dettori’s rejuvenation brought him into the top 5 with 7 G1 wins.

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The remaining categories which we shall deal with in a later post.