Cracksman and Winx share honours at Longines Awards

Connections of Cracksman and Winx receive their trophies for the Longines World's Best Racehorse
Connections of Cracksman and Winx receive their trophies for the Longines World's Best Racehorse

(L-R) Frankie Dettori, Anthony Oppenheimer, Antoinette Oppenheimer, Louis Romanet, Stéphanie Lachat, Benjamin Aeby, Debbie Kepitis, Elizabeth Treweeke, Chris Waller, Peter Tighe, Patricia Tighe.

Winx and Cracksman named the 2018 Longines World’s Best Racehorses, Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe crowned Longines World’s Best Horse Race for the third time

London (GB) / Saint-Imier (Switzerland), January 23, 2019 – Swiss watchmaking brand Longines and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) were proud to honour the 2018 top Thoroughbred racehorses and horse race during a ceremony at the iconic Landmark hotel in London. The Australian mare Winx and the British horse Cracksman were both crowned the 2018 Longines World’s Best Racehorses. Accelerate, from America, was ranked third. On this occasion, the 2018 Longines World’s Best Horse Race award was given to the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe for the third time.

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Trophies for the Longines World's Best Racehorse and Longines World's Best Horse Race Awards 2018 Cracksman winning the Qipco Champions Stakes 2018 - credit: Longines Winx winning the Queen Elizabeth Stakes in 2018 - credit: bradleyphotos.com.au Accelerate winning the Breeders' Cup Classic 2018 - credit: Longines Cracksman in Longines World's Best Racehorse 2018 winners rug - credit: Amy Lanigan Photography.jpg 2018 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - credit: APRH Accelerate after winning the Pacific Classic - credit: EmilyShields Winx in Longines World's Best Racehorse 2018 winners rug - credit:Jonathan Ng/DailyTelegraph 2018 Qatar Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe - credit: Longines Cracksman in Longines World's Best Racehorse 2018 winners rug - credit: Amy Lanigan Photography Winx in Longines World's Best Racehorse 2018 winners rug - credit:.Jonathan Ng/Daily Telegraph.jpg Dennis Engelbo at the Longines World's Best Racehorse Awards Edouard de Rothschild at the Longines World's Best Racehorse Awards CNN presenter Aly Vance at the Longines World's Best Racehorse Awards Dr. Makoto Inoue and guests at the Longines World's Best Racehorse Awards Victoria Pendleton at the Longines World's Best Racehorse Awards Lord Seb Coe at the Longines World's Best Racehorse Awards Chris Waller at the Longines World's Best Racehorse Awards Frankie Dettori at the Longines World's Best Racehorse Awards Linnea Aarflot at the Longines World's Best Racehorse Awards Olivier Delloye at the Longines World's Best Racehorse Awards Model Rosie Tapner at the Longines World's Best Racehorse Awards Peter and Patricia Tighe at the Longines World's Best Racehorse Awards Patrik and Julia Lundin at the Longines World's Best Racehorse Awards Connections of Winx receive the trophy for the Longines World's Best Racehorse 2018 Connections of Cracksman receive their trophies for the Longines World's Best Racehorse Award Connections of Cracksman and Winx receive their trophies for the Longines World's Best Racehorse Olivier Delloye and Edouard de Rothschild from France Galop Longines World's Best Horse Race 2018 Trophy Longines World's Best Horse Race 2018 Trophy Longines World's Best Racehorse 2018 Trophy Longines World's Best Racehorse 2018 Trophy Peter Phillips at the Longines World's Best Racehorse Awards Peter Phillips and David Redvers at the Longines World's Best Racehorse Awards Accelerate's co-owner Stephanie Hronis recieves the award for third place at the Longines World's Be
B Roll Longines Awards - 23 January 2019 Highlights video - Longines Awards 23 January 2019.mp4
Quotes - Longines Awards 23 Jan 2019 Summary Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings 2018 Top 100 G1 Races by Yearly Rating 2018 Background on shortlisted horses - Longines Awards 2018 Press Release (ENG) Longines Awards - 23 Jan 2019 Top 100 G1 Races 2018 Named Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings 2018 Press Release (FRA) Longines Awards - 23 Jan 2019

On Wednesday January 23, Longines and its long-time partner the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA), were delighted to host the 2018 Longines World’s Best Racehorse and Longines World’s Best Horse Race ceremony in London. With an equal rating of 130, Winx and Cracksman were together declared the 2018 Longines World’s Best Racehorses.

Winx has been in the Top 10 of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings since 2015 and has been the highest rated filly/mare in the world since 2016. In 2018, she claimed overall top honours during a season that culminated in her becoming the only horse in history to win the Ladbrokes Cox Plate four times.

As co-winner, Cracksman impressed as well, with his trademark victory coming in the QIPCO Champion Stakes on British Champions Day at Ascot, where Longines is a Main Partner and the Official Timekeeper. The British runner was campaigned by the same connections as Golden Horn, the 2015 highest rated turf horse in the world. Cracksman’s jockey in 2018 was Frankie Dettori, who was named Longines World’s Best Jockey in 2018 as well as in 2015.

Accelerate, with a rating of 128, was honoured as the third-highest rated horse in the world during the ceremony, which for the first time was held at the iconic Landmark hotel in London. Accelerate was the dominant older horse in America in 2018, and Longines was proud to time his great victory in the Breeder’s Cup Classic at Churchill Downs.

This classification is established by international handicappers according to the performance of the horses in top international races. Last year, Arrogate from the United States was named the 2017 Longines World’s Best Racehorse following his epic victories in the Pegasus World Cup in Florida and the Dubai World Cup.                                   

The representatives of the three winning horses were presented with elegant Longines watches. The connections of Winx and Cracksman also received a replica of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse vase from IFHA representatives.

One ceremony, two awards

On this occasion, Longines and the IFHA were also proud to award the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe as the 2018 Longines World’s Best Horse Race. Longines is proud to be the Official Partner and Official Timekeeper of this mythic race that takes in Paris, and attracts the best horses, breeders, trainers and owners from all over the world.

France Galop President Edouard de Rothschild was in London this Wednesday to accept the award. He was presented with an elegant Longines timepiece, a commemorative plate and a replica trophy representing a proud horse head. The first four finishers of the Qatar Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in 2018 were Enable, Sea Of Class, Cloth Of Stars, and Waldgeist. The Arc also won the award in 2017 and was the inaugural winner of the Longines World’s Best Horse Race Award in 2015.

The Longines World’s Best Horse Race award recognizes the best-rated race of the highest-rated Group 1 international races as established by a panel of international handicappers. The ratings of the top four finishers in each race serve as basis for the assessment.

Longines and the IFHA: a long-term partnership and common values

Passionate about horse racing since more than a century, Longines is proud to be the Official Partner and Official Watch of IFHA, and to lend its name to the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. The long-term partnership between Longines and the IFHA has seen the establishment of a prestigious set of awards aimed to honour the excellence of horseracing. The Longines World’s Best Racehorse and Horse Race Award, the Longines and IFHA International Award of Merit, and the Longines World’s Best Jockey Award respectively pay tribute to the racehorses, horse races, personalities, and jockeys who excel at the highest level of the sport.

ENDS

 

About Longines

Longines has been based in Saint-Imier in Switzerland since 1832. Its watchmaking expertise reflects a strong devotion to tradition, elegance and performance. Longines has generations of experience as official timekeeper of world championships and as partner of international sports federation.

For further information please contact:

Longines International Public Relations

2610 Saint-Imier, Switzerland

publicrelations@longines.com

www.longines.com

 

About the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA):

The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) is the world peak body for the international sport of Thoroughbred racing. Its 60 members are the national racing authorities across the globe which stage Thoroughbred races.

Major areas of the IFHA’s activities include:

  • Making and amending the International Agreement on Breeding, Racing and Wagering (the IABRW)
  • Policy development relating to welfare and safety of horses and riders
  • International Race Planning and Grading (“black type”)
  • World Rankings
  • The fight against Equine Prohibited Substances and Practices
  • Harmonization of Race Day Rules
  • Certification of IFHA Reference Labs
  • Fostering commercial development of the racing industry globally

The IFHA is a foundation member with Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) of the International Horse Sports Confederation and is affiliated to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

E-Mail : achesser@jockeyclub.com