Star Karaka Graduates Share Second Spot on Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings

Halfway through 2023, New Zealand Bloodstock is in the enviable position of having two of its graduates among the top three places on the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings.

Hong Kong superstars Lucky Sweynesse (NZ) (Sweynesse) and Golden Sixty (Medaglia d’Oro) have both been rated at 125 in the latest official listing of the world’s best racehorses to have competed between January and June of this year. That puts them in equal second spot behind the Japanese champion Equinox (Kitasan Black), who is rated 129.

These lofty heights are nothing new for Golden Sixty, who has been a regular presence in this list throughout his glittering 29-start, 25-win career.

Bought for $300,000 from Riversley Park’s draft at the 2017 Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, Golden Sixty has set a new all-time record for earnings in Hong Kong with his HK$147.9m in prize-money. That is the equivalent of more than NZ$30m, which is over 100 times his purchase price.

Golden Sixty has won nine times at Group One level, including three this year – the Stewards’ Cup (1600m), Hong Kong Gold Cup (2000m) and Champions Mile (1600m).

Lucky Sweynesse, meanwhile, has made a rapid ascent in the World’s Best Racehorse rankings. He was rated 10th in the previous listing, but has consistently improved his rating throughout an extraordinary six-race winning sequence through the first six months of 2023. The most recent of those was this month’s Group Three Sha Tin Vase (1200m), which he won easily despite carrying a massive weight.

Lucky Sweynesse was a $90,000 purchase from the draft of Woburn Farm at the 2020 Ready to Run Sale at Karaka. The emerging megastar has now won 13 of his 17 career starts and earned a total of HK$45.6m – the equivalent of NZ$9.6m, which is over 100 times his purchase price.

Lucky Sweynesse has now won seven of his last eight starts, including this year’s Group One Centenary Sprint Cup (1200m), Queen’s Silver Jubilee Cup (1400m) and Chairman’s Sprint Prize (1200m).