Sea The Stars tops the ratings

Sea The Stars claimed the title of the best horse on the planet after the unveiling of the World Thoroughbred Rankings in London.

Senior handicappers from Britain, Ireland and beyond made official what most already knew at the annual racing convention: that John Oxx's 2,000 Guineas, Derby and Arc-winning colt was the best in the world by some stretch.

With a rating of 136, the remarkable three-year-old won six Group 1s in a row and is the highest-rated horse since Peintre Celebre, who earned a mark of 137 under the former International Classifications back in 1997.

Meanwhile, St Nicholas Abbey emerged at the top of the two-year-old ratings following his win in Doncaster's Racing Post Trophy.

In earning a 124 figure, Aidan O'Brien's colt became the first winner of that race to head the juvenile list since Celtic Swing in 1994.

The top older sprinters in the world in 2009 were Australian-trained Scenic Blast (122) and Hong Kong's Sacred Kingdom (122) while France's dual Breeders' Cup Mile winner Goldikova (130) was voted the top older horse of 2009.