Orfevre: a horse who looks capable to reaching Deep Impact's level

  PICTURE: Masakazu Takahashi  

Racing's king and queen joined by a third star

WORLD CLASS: an analysis of the international scene according to Racing Post Ratings

THERE is no doubt who the king and queen of the turf were this year.

Frankel and Black Caviar promised plenty in 2010, when they were world champion two-year-old (on our figures) and world champion sprinter, but they built on that promise in 2011.

Frankel now ranks as the joint-best horse in RPR history with a mark of 139, while Black Caviar ranks as the best ever mare on RPRs with a mark of 133.

In terms of peak ability, both Frankel and Black Caviar broke new ground, but they also managed to maintain that superior standard throughout the campaign and remain undefeated.

While she may not have quite matched Frankel's peak performance rating, Black Caviar holds sway in the consistency stakes, ranking as the most consistent elite-level performer in RPR history.

Six times she has posted RPRs of 130 or better (a record), while she has rated 129 or higher in all of her last ten starts (another record).

The duo were more than head and shoulders above their contemporaries this season - you could often drive a bus between them and the placed horses - and the form of those rivals lends support to the lofty historical perch of our champions.

Frankel was four lengths too good for Excelebration at the beginning and end of the year, but when the Marco Botti-trained colt did not have to run against the champ he won all three starts, dealing out some fairly impressive victories of his own.

Black Caviar also had a superb understudy in the form of Hay List, who was himself a wide-margin ahead of the rest of the Aussie sprint division.

Both Black Caviar and Hay List had their collateral form boosted at Royal Ascot when Star Witness, a member of 'the rest' of the Aussie sprint division, and somewhere between four and eight lengths worse than Black Caviar, came to Royal Ascot and made the frame in both major sprints although they weren't classic renewals, in part down to the fact that Black Caviar and Hay List weren't there.

They will be next year though and that is where these champions again stand out from previous elite horses: after proving their ability beyond doubt,they are coming back for more.

Frankel is the one breaking the mould here, as champion three-year-olds have a tendency to commence stud duties at four.
The difference with Frankel is that he's more than just a run-of-the-mill champion and retiring him before he is fully mature would be a crime against the thoroughbred.

Without the financial pull of mammoth stud fees, elite mares are often kept in training longer than the colts, so this isn't quite such a bold move from the Black Caviar camp, although she also has her sights set much higher than your average champion.

She will be trained for a European campaign and will be aiming to match New Zealand mare Sunline's record of 13 Group 1 wins. Black Caviar has seven but is scheduled to run in three more before she ships to Europe. She's unbeaten in 16 and has been pencilled in for seven starts next year.

Having the best colt and mare in RPR history back in training next season is great news for horseracing. It will truly be history in the making.

But it does mean that next year's crop of three-year-olds may find it tricky to break through against their elders - particularly given the middling bunch of juveniles in Europe this year.

The youngsters may have weight-for-age on their side, but loose horses running without a jockey or tack would have trouble beating Frankel and Black Caviar.

The third national superstar who stayed exclusively on home soil this year was Orfevre, who closed out his campaign with an awesome win against his elders in the Arima Kinen on Sunday.

The three-year-old will now finish the season as champion of Japan after cruising to an easy success over a top-class field, earning a career-best RPR of 128+.

He raced wide turning for home and could not have been any more impressive in registeringa three-quarter length success over Eishin Flash (124).

There were some monstrously slow sectionals in the middle of the race (14.4s,14.3s) and the field was bunched at the finish, with just four lengths covering the first ten, but they were such a high-class bunch the condensed distances did not stop the winner posting a world-class rating (once adjusted for ease).

The plan is to travel over for the Arc next year and, while he looks to have the class to be involved, he will be up against that Arc weight-for-age hoodoo which again saw the three-year-olds succeed in 2011.

Orfevre is the first horse since the mighty Deep Impact (133) to land the Japan triple crown and he looks the most promising.

We have had Nakayama Festa (129), Admire Moon (127) and Company (127) in the interim, but this is the first Japanese horse since Deep Impact who has looked capable of breaking the 130-barrier.

Much like Black Caviarat the same time last year, although this was an impressive season for Orfevre, he looks set to really define his legacy next season. He's clearly another one to look forward in a bumper year. As I said before, bring on 2012.

In the States, top dirt performer The Factor ran out an easy winner of the Malibu Stakes on Monday, earning an RPR of 122+. He is another capable of some bold performances next term.

TOP OF THE CLASS: Orfevre 128+ Yasutoshi Ikee (Jap) (Arima Kinen, 1m4½f, Nakayama, Dec 25)

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