2004 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings
# 2004 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings

The 2004 World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings was the inaugural edition of the World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings. It is an assessment of racehorses which was issued by the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) in January 2005. It includes horses aged three or older which raced or were trained during 2004 in countries where the flat racing year runs from January 1 to December 31. These countries are generally in the Northern Hemisphere.

The ratings represent a weight value in pounds, with higher values given to horses which showed greater ability. It is judged that these weights would equalize the abilities of the horses if carried in a theoretical handicap race. The list includes all horses rated 115 or above, and it also shows the surface and the distances at which the rating was achieved.

The highest rating in the 2004 season was 130, which was given to the performance of Ghostzapper in the Breeders' Cup Classic. In total, 162 horses were included in the list.

## Full rankings for 2004

* Country foaled – Horse names are followed by a suffix indicating the country where foaled.
* Age – The ages shown for horses foaled in the Northern Hemisphere are as of their universal date of increase, January 1, 2004. The ages of horses born in the Southern Hemisphere are taken from their equivalent date, August 1, 2004.
* Sex – The following abbreviations are used:
   * C – Colt – Ungelded male horse up to four-years-old.
   * F – Filly – Female horse up to four-years-old.
   * H – Horse – Ungelded male horse over four-years-old.
   * M – Mare – Female horse over four-years-old.
   * G – Gelding – Gelded male horse of any age.

Certain horses may have also recorded a lesser rating over a distance different from that listed above. The IFHA publishes this information when the lower rating represents the overall top performance in a particular category. There were seven such additional ratings for this season:

| | Rating | Horse | Age | Sex | Trained | Surface | Distance (m) |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| + | 123 | Ghostzapper (USA) | 4 | C | United States | Dirt | 1,800 |
| + | 122 | Haafhd (GB) | 3 | C | Great Britain | Turf | 1,600 |
| + | 118 | Smarty Jones (USA) | 3 | C | United States | Dirt | 1,800 |
| + | 117 | Azeri (USA) | 6 | M | United States | Dirt | 2,000 |
| + | 116 | Quiff (GB) | 3 | F | Great Britain | Turf | 2,900 |
| + | 115 | Ashado (USA) | 3 | F | United States | Dirt | 2,000 |
| + | 115 | Azeri (USA) | 6 | M | United States | Dirt | 1,200 |

## Top ranked horses

The tables below show the top ranked horses overall, the top fillies and mares, and the top three-year-olds in the 2004 Rankings. They also show the top performers in various subdivisions of each group, which are defined by the distances of races, and the surfaces on which they are run. The IFHA recognizes five distance categories — Sprint, Mile, Intermediate, Long and Extended — identified by the acronym "SMILE". These are framed as follows:

* Sprint: 1,000–1,300m (1,000–1,599m for races in Canada and the United States)
* Mile: 1,301–1,899m (1,600–1,899m for races in Canada and the United States)
* Intermediate: 1,900–2,100m
* Long: 2,101–2,700m
* Extended: 2,701m +

All Horses :

| | All Surfaces | Dirt | Turf |
| - | - | - | - |
| All Distances | 130 – Ghostzapper | 130 – Ghostzapper | 127 – Doyen |
| Sprint | 123 – Pico Central | 123 – Pico Central | 117 – Var |
| Mile | 123 – Ghostzapper 123 – Rakti | 123 – Ghostzapper | 123 – Rakti |
| Intermediate | 130 – Ghostzapper | 130 – Ghostzapper | 124 – Haafhd |
| Long | 127 – Doyen | 120 – Birdstone | 127 – Doyen |
| Extended | 120 – Rule of Law | not listed | 120 – Rule of Law |
| Fillies and Mares ||||
| | All Surfaces | Dirt | Turf |
| All Distances | 120 – Ouija Board | 118 – Azeri 118 – Sightseek | 120 – Ouija Board |
| Sprint | 115 – Azeri 115 – Ema Bovary 115 – Island Fashion 115 – Tante Rose | 115 – Azeri 115 – Ema Bovary 115 – Island Fashion | 115 – Tante Rose |
| Mile | 119 – Soviet Song | 118 – Azeri 118 – Sightseek | 119 – Soviet Song |
| Intermediate | 117 – Azeri 117 – Chorist 117 – Latice | 117 – Azeri | 117 – Chorist 117 – Latice |
| Long | 120 – Ouija Board | not listed | 120 – Ouija Board |
| Extended | 116 – Quiff | not listed | 116 – Quiff |
| Three-Year-Olds ||||
| | All Surfaces | Dirt | Turf |
| All Distances | 128 – Smarty Jones | 128 – Smarty Jones | 126 – Bago |
| Sprint | not listed | not listed | not listed |
| Mile | 122 – Haafhd 122 – Lucky Story | 118 – Smarty Jones | 122 – Haafhd 122 – Lucky Story |
| Intermediate | 128 – Smarty Jones | 128 – Smarty Jones | 124 – Haafhd |
| Long | 126 – Bago | 120 – Birdstone | 126 – Bago |
| Extended | 120 – Rule of Law | not listed | 120 – Rule of Law |
