LONDON // Frankel was officially declared the best horse in the world today when the World Thoroughbred Rankings were published.

The four-year-old colt, owned by Prince Khalid Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, was given a rating of 136, four pounds clear of Black Caviar, Australia's unbeaten sprinter.

It puts Frankel on a level pegging with Sea the Stars, the retired colt who in 2009 won six Group 1 races including the English 2,000 Guineas, Derby and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe. It was Frankel's defeat of Canford Cliffs in the Sussex Stakes at Glorious Goodwood that saw him promoted to his current rating.

Despite nine races without defeat, Frankel must improve this year by at least 5lbs if he is eclipse Dancing Brave, also owned by the prince, who after a glorious summer in 1986 tops the all-time list since the international rankings were first published in 1977.

Frankel was named joint-champion two year old alongside Dream Ahead in 2010 and improved last season from a rating of 126. With a programme that could well culminate at the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita in November there is scope for further improvement as the son of Galileo bids to build on his unblemished record.

Although Godolphin's Rewilding, trained by Mahmood Al Zarooni, features in fifth place it is his victory in the Prince of Wales's stakes at Royal Ascot, and not his previous success in the Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan racecourse, that sees him achieve his position.

The highest rated race in the UAE that features is JJ The Jet Plane's win in the Dubai Duty Free finest Surprise sprint on March 10, which is rated 23rd in the list and the equal of Victoire Pisa's emotional victory for Japan in the Dubai World Cup.

sports@thenational.ae