Golden Tempo, winner of the Lecomte Stakes (G3) in January, is expected to face eight rivals in the Louisiana Derby (G2) on Saturday. The son of Curlin is owned by Phipps Stable and St Elias Stables and is trained by Cherie DeVaux. Photo credit: Hodges Photography
NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll – March 16, 2026
Week 8 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 March 15. 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 | PALADIN (22) | 3-C | 1-1-0-0 | 295 | 1 |
| 2 | COMMANDMENT (7) | 3-C | 2-2-0-0 | 254 | 2 |
| 3 | NEARLY (2) | 3-C | 2-2-0-0 | 212 | 3 |
| 4 | CLASS PRESIDENT | 3-C | 2-1-1-0 | 179 | 4 |
| 5 | SILENT TACTIC | 3-C | 3-1-2-0 | 137 | 5 |
| 6 | RENEGADE | 3-C | 1-1-0-0 | 123 | 6 |
| 7 | CHIEF WALLABEE | 3-C | 2-1-1-0 | 100 | 8 |
| 8 | POTENTE | 3-C | 2-2-0-0 | 98 | 7 |
| 9 | THE PUMA | 3-C | 3-1-1-1 | 73 | 9 |
| 10 | INCREDIBOLT | 3-C | 2-1-0-0 | 63 | 21 |
Other horses receiving votes: FURTHER ADO (31), IRON HONOR (23), GOLDEN TEMPO (22), PLUTARCH (15), CANALETTO (15), BELLA BALLERINA (13), BOYD (11), EXPLORA (7), REAGAN’S HONOR (7), LITMUS TEST (7), CHEROKEE NATION (4), SOLITUDE DUDE (4), ZANY (4), CHIP HONCHO (3), INTREPIDO (1), PAVLOVIAN (1), TALK TO ME JIMMY (1), TED NOFFEY (1), CRUDE VELOCITY (1)
TOP THOROUGHBRED POLL
| PLACE | HORSE | A-S | STATS | POINTS | PVS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SOVEREIGNTY (15) | 4-C | 0-0-0-0 | 257 | 1 |
| 2 | FOREVER YOUNG (JPN) (14) | 5-H | 1-1-0-0 | 227 | 2 |
| 3 | NYSOS | 5-H | 1-0-1-0 | 223 | 3 |
| 4 | KNIGHTSBRIDGE | 5-H | 2-2-0-0 | 158 | 4 |
| 5 | MAGNITUDE | 4-C | 1-1-0-0 | 153 | 6 |
| 6 | SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING | 7-H | 1-1-0-0 | 150 | 5 |
| 7 | JOURNALISM | 4-C | 0-0-0-0 | 132 | 7 |
| 8 | SPLENDORA | 5-M | 2-2-0-0 | 94 | 8 |
| 9 | IMAGINATION (2) | 5-H | 1-1-0-0 | 73 | 9 |
| 10 | BOOK 'EM DANNO | 5-G | 0-0-0-0 | 42 | 11 |
Other horses receiving votes: WHITE ABARRIO (41), NITROGEN (38), BAEZA (33), HIT SHOW (18), REEF RUNNER (17), TEST SCORE (16), BRITISH ISLES (13), DESTINO D’ORO (5), WESTWOOD (4), MAJESTIC OOPS (3), CORNUCOPIAN (3), LAGYNOS (2), BISHOPS BAY (1), FULL SERRANO (1), SHISOSPICY (1)