Winx's rating of 132 – Arrogate received 134 and California Chrome received 133 – is two points higher than the 130 Black Caviar received when she topped the international ratings in 2013. Black Caviar had rated 132  in 2011, although Frankel was rated the best horse in the world that year.

The recognition came overnight in London at the Longines World's Best Horse Race Awards, meaning that the 2040-metre Cox Plate, Australia's best known  weight-for-age classic,  has been given the highest rating of any horse race in Australia ever recorded.

Much of that rating had to to with the performance of Winx, who, in winning back-to-back Plates earned a career-high rating of 132 after she streeted the field to win by eight lengths.

At the awards ceremony, Longines and the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities (IFHA) honoured the top racehorses and horse races from the previous year.

With a race rating of 124.75, the Cox Plate was only 0.5 points from the No.1-rated race last year, the 2016 Breeders' Cup Classic. The Cox Plate is the equal-highest rated turf thoroughbred race, sharing this honour with the Irish Champion Stakes.

Introduced three years ago, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities uses the international horse ratings, as determined by a panel of international handicappers of the top-four placegetters of each race to determine the overall race rating.  Winx was also the highest-rated turf horse and highest rated filly or mare in the Longines classifications.

Hartnell (second in the Cox Plate), was rated equal-eighth horse in the world with 124 points,  Yankee Rose (third in the Cox Plate) has 115 points, and Vadamos (fourth in the Cox Plate) is equal 34th at 120.

"This confirms what we already knew, which is that the  W.S. Cox Plate is one the most prestigious races in the word," said Moonee Valley Racing Club CEO Michael Browell.