Redzel jumps to number 2 in earnings for Australasian horses.  Putting aside inflated earnings a horse that has a 50% win and 75% place record racing against the best sprinters going around is a good effort by any measure. 

Fixed

Thanks people - more work to do!

Prize money  has been on the increase since Moses played full back for the Mount Sinai seconds

Has a conversion of Phar Lap's prize winnings been calculated allowing for inflation and currency conversion ?

Bubbasmith Re Phar Lap earnings

According to a copy of Miller's Guide "Note in a Racetrack magazine article in January 2006, Dr Graeme Putt of New Zealand figured out that on the races he won Phar Lap would have earned $15,761,758 by 2008 standards"

The list below is the top 40 Thoroughbreds on career earnings anywhere in the world from https://www.thoroughbredracing.com/articles/worlds-all-time-highest-earning-thoroughbred-racehorses/ . All prize money, wherever earned, has been converted to pounds sterling based on the relevant exchange rate at the time.
      
Their " list was originally compiled by the International Racing Bureau, which is a British company, hence the use of sterling and the official overseas currency exchange rates issued by the British Horseracing Authority in the first week of every January.   
   
In my opinion this is a lazy way to measure earnings. Quite a few European horses travel to the US, Hong Kong or Australia at the end of a calender year and exchanges rates can and do yo-yo over very short periods.  The British Horseracing Authority gets a fail and needs to lift it's game.  Interestingly there is very little difference between my more recent foreign earnings conversion figures and those now on racing.nsw and racing.com. (eg Hartnell).  Some of the early figures for implied exchange rates used by the then racingvic website were very different from the true exchange rate.        
I have included my GBP figures for comparison purposes.   
   
Horse    thoroughbredracing.com figures   My figures
Arrogate (USA) 2013   GBP 13,671,322   GBP 13,877,428
Gentildonna (JPN) 2009   GBP 12,285,608   GBP 11,569,967
Orfevre (JPN) 2008   GBP 12,275,482   GBP 11,880,602
Gun Runner (USA) 2013   GBP 12,260,411   GBP 11,808,858
Kitasan Black (JPN) 2012   GBP 11,454,079   GBP 12,375,699
Winx (AUS) 2011    GBP 10,681,440   GBP 11,109,510
Buena Vista (JPN) 2006   GBP 10,588,889   GBP 12,781,143
T M Opera O (JPN) 1996   GBP 10,587,690   GBP 10,881,316
Gold Ship (JPN) 2009   GBP 9,940,344   GBP 9,433,351
California Chrome (USA) 2011   GBP 9,455,421   GBP 10,104,313
Victoire Pisa (JPN) 2007   GBP 7,959,527   GBP 8,318,408
Vodka (JPN) 2004 (mare)   GBP 7,580,245   GBP 8,092,149
Highland Reel (IRE) 2012   GBP 7,513,355   GBP 7,875,927
Espoir City (JPN) 2005   GBP 7,459,286   GBP 7,278,456
Deep Impact (JPN) 2002   GBP 7,268,753   GBP 6,934,759
Hokko Tarumae (JPN) 2009   GBP 7,184,409   GBP 6,820,807
Smart Falcon (JPN) 2005   GBP 6,781,037   GBP 7,227,494
Lord Kanaloa (JPN) 2008   GBP 6,470,184   GBP 6,216,239
Thunder Snow (IRE) 2012   GBP 6,302,421   not reviewed
Enable (GB) 2014   GBP 6,377,396   GBP 6,447,102
Cigar (USA) 1990    GBP 6,277,311   GBP 6,405,361
Flintshire (GB) 2010   GBP 6,240,977   not reviewed
Cirrus des Aigles (FR) 2006   GBP 6,179,490   not reviewed
Vermilion (JPN) 2002   GBP 6,058,055   GBP 6,211,385
Maurice (JPN) 2011   GBP 6,004,693   not reviewed
Treve (FR) 2010   GBP 6,002,918   not reviewed
Viva Pataca (GB) 2002   GBP 5,994,640   not reviewed
Special Week (JPN) 1995   GBP 5,929,086   GBP 5,700,644
Gloria de Campeao (BRZ) 2003   GBP 5,927,616   not reviewed
Narita Brian (JPN) 1991   GBP 5,856,861   GBP 5,949,782
Eishin Flash (JPN) 2007   GBP 5,849,194   GBP 5,845,679
Makybe Diva (GB) 1999   GBP 5,795,064   GBP 6,028,031
Zenno Rob Roy (JPN) 2000   GBP 5,791,478   GBP 5,814,128
Skip Away (USA) 1993   GBP 5,768,753   not reviewed
Just A Way (JPN) 2009   GBP 5,735,667   GBP 5,544,778
American Pharaoh (USA) 2012   GBP 5,531,104   not reviewed
Tap Dance City (USA) 1997   GBP 5,404,241   GBP 5,695,073
Curlin (USA) 2004   GBP 5,291,024   GBP 5,291,580
Dunaden (USA)   GBP 5,271,584   not reviewed
Stay Gold (JPN) 1994   GBP 5,261,565   GBP 5,629,967
      
Some that should be on the list:      
So You Think (NZ) 2006    omitted   GBP 5,445,105.35
Found (IRE) 2012   omitted   GBP 5,525,376.95
      
Two that suffered due to low rates of exchange against the GBP (and USD):      
Sunline (NZ) 1995   less than GBP 5m.   GBP 4,343,754
Vengeance of Rain (NZ) 2000 (raced in Australia as Subscribe)   less than GBP 5m.   GBP 4,786,231
      

The length of a piece of string varies over time


                                 ..........contributors to this thread may need to be formally assessed

If we took a poll of people on the forum of who they thought needed to be formally assessed Peter, I would think timw wouldn't get a mention. He is one of the best and accurate contributors to the forum.

On the other hand........

The length of a piece of string varies over time


                                 ..........contributors to this thread may need to be formally assessed

 

As someone who wasn’t following international earnings closely, it’s just really surprising the dominance of Japanese horses now. 7 of the top 10 for a start.

The prizemoney is astonishing in Japan - and increasingly in Australia for that matter - when compared to the rest of the world.

Wondering how expensive it is to have a horse trained in Japan though. They seem to have a very controlled environment not dissimilar to other Asian racing centres.

The appearance of Redzel on the list with only two Group 1 wins begs the question should prizemoney from "closed" races like the Magic Millions, The Pegasus World Cup, The Everest, etc. be included.

Arrogate's figures would include his Pegasus World Cup win in 2017. Take that out and the top 5 would be Japanese horses with Winx the top earner "ex Japan" - with a bullet   

What about we exclude winnings form races with three or four horses?

Or from races run anti-clockwise?

Or from etc etc.........

No I think there are clear reasons why you shouldn't include earnings from what are (effectively) private races not open to all comers.

As opposed to small fields, etc. 

According to Sam Duncan in today's Age (p23 - not in the sports pages) Winx will become the 'greatest money winner in world racing' if  she wins the Cox Plate.  The best I can do is promote her to fifth in USD, second in GBP and  second in AUD. 

According to Sam Duncan in today's Age (p23 - not in the sports pages) Winx will become the 'greatest money winner in world racing' if  she wins the Cox Plate.  The best I can do is promote her to fifth in USD, second in GBP and  second in AUD.

They don't make much of an effort do they? A few minutes on Google would show that was fake news.

I have updated all of Winx details (I hope).  I have her ranked fifth in world wide earnings in USD and second in GBP and AUD.  To get to number 1 in USD she will need to win all the same races in autumn 2019 as she won in 2018 and the ATC will need to increase its prizemoney and/or hope the USD / AUD exchange rate increases in Australia's favour (not good for exporters but good for holidays to USA).

Or do a Redzel and win a couple of Everests.