Galileo sires best horse for 39 years - Timeform
The brilliant champion Frankel (4c Galileo-Kind, by Danehill) has been rated the best horse since 1972 by handicapping organisation Timeform, earning a rating of 143 after his efforts in 2011.
The ranking is the highest since Brigadier Gerard posted a mark of 144 39 years ago. Sea-Bird (145 in 1965) and Tudor Minstrel (144 in 1947) are the only other horses to have been rated higher than Frankel in Timeform's long history.
Frankel is a remarkable 8lb clear of the next-highest horse, Black Caviar, and 10lb ahead of the next-highest in the northern hemisphere, margins unprecedented in recent times.
The Sir Henry Cecil-trained colt is unbeaten in nine starts, including the G1 2,000 Guineas, the G1 Sussex Stakes and G1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes in the 2011. Any of those successes would have qualified Frankel for Horse of The Year status with Timeform.
Frankel headlined an incredible year for Galileo, who was represented by 11 individual G1 winners and won a third European sires’ championship.
Frankel was also ranked the best horse in the world in the World Thoroughbred Rankings, announced on Tuesday. The Judmmonte home-bred was rated 136, 4lb clear of Black Caviar.
Meanwhile, Galileo was also responsible for Europe’s joint highest-rated two-year-old filly of 2011 in the World Thoroughbred Rankings.
The Aidan O’Brien-trained Maybe (3f Galileo-Sumora, by Danehill), winner of the G1 Moyglare Stud Stakes, was joint-Champion Two-Year-Old on a mark of 116.