Silent Tactic pulls away in the stretch under Cristian Torres to upset the Southwest Stakes (G3) field at 12-1 for his first win over a dirt surface. A son of Taylor Made stallion Tacitus, Silent Tactic is owned by John Oxley and trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse. Photo credit: Coady Media/Renee Torbit
NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll – February 9, 2026
Week 3 of the 2026 NTRA Top Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll and the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll conducted by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), covering racing performances through February 8. Voting is conducted by national media.
The 3-Year-Old poll represents horses competing up and through the Triple Crown.
The Top Thoroughbred poll represents horses competing for Horse of the Year. The Top Thoroughbred Poll concludes on Tuesday, November 3 following the Breeders’ Cup World Championships.
Rankings on both polls are on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-1 basis with first place votes in parentheses, 2026 record and total points. A-S: Age-Sex, Sex: C-colt, G-gelding, H-horse, F-filly, M-mare, R-ridgling.
TOP 3-YEAR OLD POLL
| PLACE | HORSE | A-S | STATS | POINTS | PVS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NEARLY (13) | 3-C | 2-2-0-0 | 260 | 1 |
| 2 | PALADIN (5) | 3-C | 0-0-0-0 | 211 | 2 |
| 3 | RENEGADE (1) | 3-C | 1-1-0-0 | 144 | 29 |
| 4 | GOLDEN TEMPO (1) | 3-C | 1-1-0-0 | 128 | 3 |
| 5 | FURTHER ADO (1) | 3-C | 0-0-0-0 | 127 | 5 |
| 6 | SILENT TACTIC | 3-C | 2-1-1-0 | 125 | N/A |
| 7 | BRANT (4) | 3-C | 0-0-0-0 | 121 | 4 |
| 8 | PLUTARCH (1) | 3-C | 1-1-0-0 | 118 | N/A |
| 9 | LITMUS TEST | 3-C | 0-0-0-0 | 79 | 6 |
| 10 | NAPOLEON SOLO | 3-C | 0-0-0-0 | 68 | 8 |
Other horses receiving votes: TED NOFFEY-4 (50), COMMANDMENT (45), STRATEGIC RISK (21), INTREPIDO (20), BOYD (15), MY WORLD (14), CANALETTO (11), SOLITUDE DUDE (11), BRAVARO (11), TALK TO ME JIMMY (8), CHIEF WALLABEE (8), TAKEN BY THE WIND (8), ZANY (7), POTENTE (6), BLACKOUT TIME (5), SPICE RUNNER (5), ON TIME GIRL (4), SO HAPPY (4), STREET BEAST (4), CANNONEER (4), MESQUITE (3), ARCTIC BEAST (3), SOLIDER N DIPLOMAT (1), THE PUMA (1)
TOP THOROUGHBRED POLL
| PLACE | HORSE | A-S | STATS | POINTS | PVS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SOVEREIGNTY (23) | 4-C | 0-0-0-0 | 273 | 1 |
| 2 | SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING (3) | 7-H | 1-1-0-0 | 220 | 2 |
| 3 | JOURNALISM | 4-C | 0-0-0-0 | 183 | 4 |
| 4 | NYSOS (1) | 5-H | 0-0-0-0 | 171 | 3 |
| 5 | NITROGEN (1) | 4-F | 1-1-0-0 | 149 | 10 |
| 6 | FOREVER YOUNG (JPN) (2) | 5-H | 0-0-0-0 | 140 | 5 |
| 7 | WHITE ABARRIO | 7-H | 1-0-1-0 | 112 | 6 |
| 8 | BOOK 'EM DANNO | 5-G | 0-0-0-0 | 76 | 7 |
| 9 | TEST SCORE | 4-C | 1-1-0-0 | 62 | 8 |
| 10 | KNIGHTSBRIDGE | 5-H | 1-1-0-0 | 49 | 9 |
Other horses receiving votes: BAEZA (40), SPLENDORA (28), FULL SERRANO (16), SHE FEELS PRETTY (15), SHISOSPICY (15), WESTWOOD (13), BENTORNATO (10), DESTINO D’ORO (9), NOTABLE SPEECH (GB) (8), EL POTENTE (7), NEVADA BEACH (7), FORMIDABLE MAN (6), GOAL ORIENTED (6), MAGNITUDE (5), BISHOPS BAY (4), MOON SPUN (4), TOUCHUPONASTAR (4), ONE STRIPE (3), USHA (3), VODKA VODKA (2), DETERMINISTIC (2), GRAND JOB (2), CORNUCOPIAN (2), PATCH ADAMS (1), LUSH LIPS (GB) (1), GEZORA (FR) (1), ANTIQUARIAN (1)