Grading: (1) This hadith is "sahih li-ghayrihi" (sahih due to supporting reports), and the narrators of this chain are thiqah (trustworthy).
Technical note / Defect ('illah): However, Ma'mar - he is Ibn Rashid - took knowledge from Qatadah at a young age, so he did not retain the chains from him precisely; despite this, Imam al-Tirmidhi, and likewise al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar in "Fath al-Bari" [10/ 216], declared this hadith of his sahih. However, Abu Nu'aym says in "al-Hilyah" [2/ 344]: "It is gharib as a hadith of Qatadah; Ma'mar is alone in narrating it from him, and the imams (Ahmad, Ishaq and Abu Mas'ud) narrated it from 'Abd al-Razzaq."
Important point: We say: Sa'id bin Abi 'Arubah narrated it in al-Tabari's "Tafsir" [3/ 263] from Qatadah, who said: "It was mentioned to us that the Prophet of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to say:" and he mentioned it. Thus Sa'id bin Abi 'Arubah narrated it from Qatadah in "mursal" form, and apparently this is more likely correct, because Ibn Abi 'Arubah is the most reliable of people (athbat al-nas) in narrating from Qatadah, and Allah knows best. However, the hadith has supporting reports on the basis of which it is judged sahih.

Reference / Source: And it is in "Musnad Ahmad" [19/ (12391)].

Reference / Source: It was recorded by al-Tirmidhi (3878) from Abu Bakr bin Zanjawayh, and by Ibn Hibban (7003) via Ahmad bin Sufyan Abu Sufyan and 'Ubayd Allah bin Fadalah Abu Qudayd; all three narrate it from 'Abd al-Razzaq with this same chain.
Grading: Imam al-Tirmidhi said: This hadith is sahih.

Reference / Source: And Ibn Hibban (6951) narrated it via Ibn Abi al-Sari from 'Abd al-Razzaq, with this same chain, with the wording: "khayr nisa' al-'alamin" (the best of the women of the worlds).

Reference / Source: With this same wording it was narrated by Ibn Abi 'Asim in "al-Ahad wa al-Mathani" (2961), al-Tabari in "al-Tafsir" [3/ 263], al-Tabarani in "al-Kabir" [42/ (1004)], Ibn 'Adi in "al-Kamil" [4/ 216], Ibn 'Asakir [70/ 111] and Ibn al-Athir in "Usd al-Ghabah" [6/ 83], via Abu Ja'far al-Razi, from Thabit al-Bunani, from Anas bin Malik.
Technical note / Defect ('illah): The outward appearance of this chain is that it is "hasan" in corroborating and supporting reports because of Abu Ja'far al-Razi, but in reality Abu Ja'far al-Razi did not hear it from Thabit; rather he heard it from "Muhammad bin Sa'id al-Azdi Abu 'Abd al-Rahman", who is "matruk al-hadith" (abandoned in hadith). With explicit mention of this Muhammad bin Sa'id as an intermediary, it was narrated by the author in "Fada'il Fatimah" (31), al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in "Tarikh Baghdad" [11/ 53] and Ibn 'Asakir [70/ 111].

Reference / Source: With this same wording it was narrated by al-Khatib in his "Tarikh" [8/ 76], and via him Ibn 'Asakir [70/ 112], through Muhammad bin Humayd al-Razi, from 'Ali bin Mujahid al-Razi, from Humayd al-Tawil, from Anas.
Status of the narrator: Muhammad bin Humayd and his shaykh ('Ali bin Mujahid) are both "matruk" (abandoned).

Details of the narration: This hadith will come shortly after this one, with wording like that mentioned here, also via al-Qati'i, from 'Abd Allah bin Ahmad bin Hanbal, from his father; except that there "al-Zuhri" is mentioned in place of Qatadah!

Corroborating chains and supporting reports: In this same chapter, with this same wording, there is a "mursal" narration from al-Hasan al-Basri in Ibn Abi Shaybah [12/ 134] and Ahmad bin Hanbal's "Fada'il al-Sahabah" (1575), and its narrators are thiqah (trustworthy).

Corroborating chains and supporting reports: And there is a "marfu'" narration from Jabir bin 'Abd Allah (may Allah be pleased with him) in al-Ajurri's "al-Shari'ah" [(1606), (1685)], Ibn Mandah's "Majalis min Amalihi" (116), the author's "Fada'il Fatimah" (30), Abu Nu'aym's "Tarikh Asbahan" [2/ 117], Qadi al-Maristan's "Mashyakhah" (411) and Ibn 'Asakir [70/ 112], and its chain is weak.

Grading: And this hadith is authentically established via 'Ikrimah from Ibn 'Abbas with the wording: "afdal nisa' ahl al-jannah" (the most excellent of the women of the people of Paradise), as has passed with the author under no. (3878); and in one narration of his that passed under no. (4205) the wording is: "afdal nisa' al-'alamin" (the most excellent of the women of the worlds).

Corroborating chains and supporting reports: It is also authentically established via Kurayb from Ibn 'Abbas in al-Tabarani's "al-Kabir" (12179) and "al-Awsat" (1107), with the wording: "sayyidat nisa' ahl al-jannah" (the leaders of the women of the people of Paradise). And in a narration of his with Ibn 'Asakir [52/ 6, 70/ 107] the wording is: "khayr nisa' al-'alamin" (the best of the women of the worlds).