The developers of a racehorse-ratings program seeking to streamline racing-office operations, boost field size, and simplify past-performance information hope to launch a pilot project for the program early next year, officials behind the effort have said.

Over the next six months, Equibase, working with outside companies, hopes to develop a fully automated process that will assign a two- or three-digit rating to racehorses across the country reflecting their estimated level of ability.