Frankel and Black Caviar Considered World's Best

The latest round of official ratings has placed Frankel (Galileo) and Black Caviar (Bel Esprit) at the top of the global rankings – effectively making them the de facto ones to beat in the world of thoroughbred racing. There is an awful lot to like about both contenders but, with nary a loss between them, the possibility of one experiencing an undefeated career looms large.

Black Caviar looks finally set to burst out of the Australian racing scene, where the bay miss has gone 13/13 with well over £2,000,000 in lifetime earnings. Frankel is poised to take on older colts in his next contest and, should he grab the victory there, you reckon he'll be notched into the history books forever.

With both Black Caviar and Frankel topping the tables with a 130 OR and a 4 lb handicap on anybody else in the world, the criticism and questioning is starting to mount amongst the racing public – especially for Black Caviar. The fact that she only contests a sprint distance and has only raced in her native Australia takes the gloss off of her for some.

Frankel boasts lots of buzz thanks to his emphatic return in his three-year-old debut, the fact that the likes of Goldikova (Anabaa) and Workforce (King's Best) didn't make the list complicates matters for some.

The second-place selection is the respected New Zealand-bred So You Think (High Chaparral) and he has made a winning start to his European campaign with a pair of group level scores in Ireland. He took the Tatersall's Gold Cup by a solid 4.5 lengths when sent off at a microscopic 1/7 price tag. Only his loss in the Melbourne Cup last year blemishes his recent record. He carries a rating of 126.

Lockinge Stakes winner Canford Cliffs (Tagula) sits alongside sprinter Rocket Man (Viscount) at 125. Dick Turpin (Arakan) is at 124 just ahead of a large pack of contenders listed at 122 with Black Caviar's frequent foe Hay List (Statue of Liberty) headlining the field.

The highest-rated American horses are Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom (Leroidesanimeaux) and Shackleford (Forestry) just off the top 10 at 121.