Locally based Taj Mahal, currently no. 18 in the NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll, is trained by Brittany Russell and will be ridden by her husband Sheldon Russell in Saturday’s Preakness Stakes (G1) at Laurel Park. The undefeated Nyquist colt is three for three at Laurel, including an 8 ¼ length win last out in the April 18 Frederico Tesio Stakes. Photo credit: The Maryland Jockey Club
NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll – May 11, 2026
Week 16 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 May 10. 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 | GOLDEN TEMPO (23) | 3-C | 4-2-0-2 | 311 | 1 |
| 2 | RENEGADE (9) | 3-C | 3-2-1-0 | 296 | 2 |
| 3 | CHIEF WALLABEE | 3-C | 4-1-1-1 | 211 | 3 |
| 4 | CRUDE VELOCITY | 3-C | 3-3-0-0 | 182 | 4 |
| 5 | COMMANDMENT | 3-C | 4-3-0-0 | 155 | 5 |
| 6 | STARK CONTRAST | 3-C | 3-2-1-0 | 106 | 6 |
| 7 | ALWAYS A RUNNER | 3-F | 3-3-0-0 | 78 | 7 |
| 8 | FURTHER ADO | 3-C | 3-1-1-0 | 65 | 8 |
| 9 | THE PUMA | 3-C | 4-1-2-1 | 61 | 9 |
| 10 | INCREDIBOLT | 3-C | 3-1-0-0 | 46 | 10 |
Other horses receiving votes: SILENT TACTIC (41), DANON BOURBON (41), OCELLI (34), EMERGING MARKET (33), SO HAPPY (28), ENGLISHMAN (26), MEANING (9), TAJ MAHAL (8), IRON HONOR (6), BELLA BALLERINA (4), FULLEFFORT (4), ON TIME GIRL (4), CHIP HONCHO (4), PALADIN (4), GROWTH EQUITY (2), POTENTE (1)
TOP THOROUGHBRED POLL
| PLACE | HORSE | A-S | STATS | POINTS | PVS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MAGNITUDE (19) | 4-C | 2-2-0-0 | 297 | 1 |
| 2 | WHITE ABARRIO (11) | 7-H | 2-1-1-0 | 278 | 2 |
| 3 | SOVEREIGNTY (1) | 4-C | 1-0-1-0 | 231 | 3 |
| 4 | NYSOS | 5-H | 1-0-1-0 | 164 | 4 |
| 5 | SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING | 7-H | 3-2-1-0 | 144 | 6 |
| 6 | FOREVER YOUNG (JPN) | 5-H | 2-1-1-0 | 143 | 5 |
| 7 | JOURNALISM | 4-C | 1-0-0-1 | 124 | 7 |
| 8 | RHETORICAL | 5-G | 2-1-0-1 | 62 | 8 |
| 9 | CORPORATE POWER | 5-H | 3-2-1-0 | 57 | 9 |
| 10 | T O ELVIS | 4-C | 1-1-0-0 | 39 | 10 |
Other horses receiving votes: BAEZA (38), BURNHAM SQUARE (32), KNIGHTSBRIDGE (18), CORORATE POWER (14), SPLENDORA (14), DETERMINISTIC (12), ANTIQUARIAN (10), TOUCHUPONASTAR (10), GREAT WHITE-1 (10), LAGYNOS (9), SHRED THE GNAR (7), RENEGADE (7), IMAGINATION (6), GOLDEN TEMPO (5), R DISASTER (5), FAR BRIDGE (5), DISRUPTOR (3), BOOK ‘EM DANNO (3), ZULU KINGDOM (3), LUSH LIPS (GB) (3), CRUDE VELOCITY (2), HIT SHOW (2), ALWAYS A RUNNER (1), YELLOW CARD (1), SANDTRAP (IRE) (1)