Well-traveled Forever Young (JPN), the Eclipse Award 2025 Champion Older Dirt Male, wins the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) on opening day of the new Belmont Park. The 5-year-old son of Real Steel (JPN) has earned more than $32 million and has never been worse than third in 16 career starts, including 12 wins. In 2026, Forever Young has two wins in three starts, having also won the Saudi Cup (G1) in February. Angelo Lieto/Coglianese Photo
NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll – Sep 21, 2026
Week 35 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 Sep 20. 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 THOROUGHBRED POLL
| PLACE | HORSE | A-S | STATS | POINTS | PVS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SOVEREIGNTY (12) | 4-C | 3-1-1-1 | 262 | 1 |
| 2 | FOREVER YOUNG (JPN) (13) | 5-H | 3-2-1-0 | 250 | 4 |
| 3 | KNIGHTSBRIDGE (2) | 5-H | 6-4-1-0 | 237 | 2 |
| 4 | NITROGEN | 4-F | 5-2-2-1 | 187 | 3 |
| 5 | MAGNITUDE (3) | 4-C | 4-3-0-0 | 161 | 5 |
| 6 | ENGLISHMAN | 3-C | 4-3-1-0 | 116 | 6 |
| 7 | NOTABLE SPEECH (GB) | 5-H | 5-3-0-0 | 97 | 8 |
| 8 | GOLDEN TEMPO | 3-C | 6-3-0-3 | 93 | 7 |
| 9 | DETERMINISTIC | 5-H | 4-3-1-0 | 89 | 9 |
| 10 | SPLENDORA | 5-M | 6-5-0-0 | 64 | 10 |
Other horses receiving votes: LEADING CHANGE (25), BURNHAM SQUARE (10), NAPOLEON SOLO (10), WAYS AND MEANS (9), THE PUMA (8), FULLY SUBSCRIBED (8), TIFFANY (IRE) (6), COUNTING STARS (3), EXPLORA (3), SURVIE (3), LUSTER (3), TAM TAM (2), CAROLINE ST BEAT (2), BAEZA (1), NYSOS (1)