ISSUED ON BEHALF OF LONGINES AND THE INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF HORSERACING AUTHORITIES (IFHA)
Paris (France) / Saint-Imier (Switzerland), 4 December 2014 – Longines and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities have announced that the 2014 Longines World’s Best Racehorse Ceremony will be held on 20 January 2015 in London, England, at the iconic hotel Claridge’s. The ceremony will honour the top highest rated horses in the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings.
Longines and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) have announced that the 2014 Longines World’s Best Racehorse Ceremony will be held on 20 January 2015 in London, England, at the iconic hotel Claridge’s. The ceremony will honour the top highest rated horses in the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. This marks the second Longines World’s Best Racehorse Ceremony, following the inaugural event held in December 2013 during the gala dinner of the Longines Hong Kong International Races. The Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings are established by international handicappers according to the performance of the horses in elite races.
For 2013, Black Caviar (AUS) and Treve (FR) were honored as the world’s co-highest rated racehorse. Just A Way (JPN) has led the rankings for the majority of 2014 on the strength of his dominant triumph in the G1 Dubai Duty Free Stakes.
The trophy of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse is a crystal vase named Equus. Every year, it is engraved with the name of the Longines World’s Best Racehorse and the representative of the winner is presented with an elegant Longines watch. In 2015, a Conquest Classic timepiece will be given. The Conquest Classic collection is dedicated to Longines’ passion for equestrian sports. True to the brand’s values of elegance, tradition and performance, this collection of models, all fitted with self-winding calibres, is at the same time totally contemporary and perfectly timeless.
IFHA Chairman Louis Romanet:
“The Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings remain the preeminent assessment of global racing. It is a great honor for the IFHA and Longines to recognize the top rated horses for 2014 at the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Ceremony. We would also like to acknowledge and thank the British Horseracing Authority and Great British Racing International for their kind assistance in co-organizing the event.”
Longines Vice President and Head of International Marketing Juan-Carlos Capelli:
“We are very proud to present together with the IFHA the second Longines World’s Best Racehorse ceremony. After Hong Kong last year, we are delighted to have this ceremony hosted in London, a city combining an innate elegance and a very long equestrian tradition.”
British Horseracing Authority Chief Executive Paul Bittar:
“We are delighted that the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Ceremony will be hosted in London, at a venue which is fitting for the prestige of the awards themselves. Britain is home to several of the world’s highest rated races, numerous top rated runners, and is the base for the first recipient of the Longines World’s Best Jockey Award, Ryan Moore, so it is appropriate that the world’s leading racehorses should be celebrated here this year.”
The date of the ceremony will also mark the unveiling of the full Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings and European 2-year-old classifications for 2014.
Passionate about horse racing since 1878, Longines is proud to be the Official Partner and Official Watch of IFHA, and to lend its name to the Longines World’s Best Racehorse Rankings. The long-term partnership between Longines and the IFHA has seen the establishment of a prestigious set of awards aimed to honour the excellence of horseracing. The Longines World’s Best Racehorse Award, the Longines and IFHA International Award of Merit, and the Longines World’s Best Jockey Award respectively pay tribute to the racehorses, personalities, and jockeys who excel at the highest level of the sport.
Notes to Editors:
1. Longines has been based at Saint-Imier in Switzerland since 1832. Its watchmaking expertise reflects a strong devotion to tradition, elegance and performance. Longines has generations of experience as official timekeeper of world championships and as partner of international sports federation. Known for the elegance of its timepieces, Longines is a member of the Swatch Group Ltd, the World’s leading manufacturer of horological products. With the winged hourglass as its emblem, the brand has outlets in over 140 countries.
For further information please contact:
Longines International Public Relations
2610 Saint-Imier, Switzerland
[email protected]
www.longines.com
The International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) has as its members racing authorities from approximately 60 countries throughout the world. Every year, the Federation organizes the International Conference, which updates the International Agreement on Breeding, Racing and Wagering endorsed by the conference in 1974.
Major areas of the IFHA’s activities include:
• Welfare and safety of horses and riders
• International Race Planning and Grading (“black type”)
• World Rankings
• Equine Prohibited Substances and Practices
• Harmonisation of Race Day Rules
• Fostering commercial development of the racing industry global
For further information on the LONGINES WORLD’S BEST RACEHORSE CEREMONY please contact:
International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA)
Andrew Chesser, Deputy Secretary General
[email protected]
www.ifhaonline.org
+1 859 224 2741
