The seventh World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings (WTRR) Conference took place in Hong Kong in December, 2007 under the auspices of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA).
The WTRR are the official end-of-season assessments of the top horses across the globe. They are published twice a year, after each WTRR Conference, and reflect the overall ability of those horses included.
The January publication includes assessments of horses aged three and above who raced in or were trained in countries whose racing season runs from January 1 to December 31 (generally the Northern Hemisphere).
The August edition incorporates those horses that raced in or were trained in countries that race between August 1 to July 31 or July 1 to June 30 (generally the Southern Hemisphere).
To merit inclusion, a horse must be assessed at a rating of 115 or higher on performances during the period under review.
Godolphin's Discreet Cat was named as the world's top ranked three-year-old performer in 2006. This is a position he shared with H.H. Sheikh Mohammed's Bernardini, having achieved a rating of 128 after remaining unbeaten, culminating with a decisive victory in the Grade One Hill ‘N' Dale Cigar Mile at Aqueduct, USA. There were 182 horses rated 115 or above in the 2006 WTRR.
France, Great Britain and Ireland published the first internationally agreed assessment of racing merit in 1977 on behalf of the European Pattern Committee under the banner of the International Classifications.
Germany and Italy joined the system in 1985, followed by Canada, the USA and Japan in the mid-1990s. The International Classifications continued to expand, with more countries becoming members, and in 1997 horses trained in Japan, the UAE and Hong Kong became eligible for inclusion, provided they had run in races open to international competition.
During 2003, responsibility for the International Classifications was transferred from the European Pattern Committee to the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.
The inaugural World Thoroughbred Racehorse Rankings Conference was held in Hong Kong in December, 2004, and was attended by delegates from Argentina, Australia, Hong Kong, Macau, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates, in addition to those from the eight countries involved previously.
Alongside the WTRR, a list of the world's leading horses is published seven times a year by the IFHA whose Internet site is www.horseracingintfed.com