Illogical system of rating horses erodes appeal of the sport

Every year the announcement of the International Classifications and the Longines World's Best Racehorse Rankings and those of the best races in the world are greeted with close to universal approval and their findings are widely accepted in a non-critical manner.

Their acceptance is, above all, proof of the lasting appeal of a good heuristic or a rule of thumb coated in scientific language. The classification and the rankings are drawn up by experts from 17 different countries, expressed in numbers and have been gradually developed over nearly 50 years, and so they must be sensible and positive.

And yet the rankings of the best races are devised with an illogical system of averages which is both nonsensical and contrary to the experiences of all of those trying to win these races, and the whole system of Group races upon which both the rating and the rankings are based has both undermined and obscured the appeal and attraction of racing for years.