Contact: Joan Lawrence, NTRA Communications, (646) 335-6833, jlawrence@ntra.com

CALIFORNIA CHROME REMAINS IN FIRST PLACE ON NTRA TOP THOROUGHBRED POLL

Receives all 42-first-place votes 

Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Monday, October 3, 2016) – California Chrome, the leading Thoroughbred in North America with earnings over $13 million, continues to hold the top spot in this week’s NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. The all-time leading money earner in the U.S., California Chrome has led the poll for all 31 weeks of 2016 voting, clinching this week’s tally with all 42 first-place votes and 420 points overall. California Chrome recorded his sixth victory in six starts this year with a dominating performance in the Grade I Awesome Again – a “Win and You’re In” Breeders’ Cup Challenge race in the Classic Division – this past Saturday at Santa Anita Park.

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll is the sport’s most comprehensive survey of experts ranking active North American-based Thoroughbreds. Every week journalists and broadcasters cast votes for their top 10 horses, with points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. The NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll concludes Monday, November 7, following the Breeders’ Cup World Championships, which will be held at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California.

Tepin, (370) the “Queen of the Turf,” trained by Mark Casse, remains in second in the rankings for owner Robert Masterson. Tepin’s next start will be in the First Lady Stakes (Grade IT), at Keeneland, Oct. 8.

The undefeated 3-year-old Eclipse Award Champion filly Songbird, (321) with a perfect career total of 11 wins from 11 starts, moved up the ranks to third place after her most recent success in the Grade I Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing for Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer and owner Rick Porter on September 24. It is anticipated that Songbird’s next appearance will come in the Grade I Breeders’ Cup Distaff at Santa Anita.

Frosted, (222) sitting chilly over the weekend at Greentree Stables where he is based up in Saratoga, moves up a notch to fourth in the rankings for Godolphin Racing and trainer Kiaran McLaughlin, taking over that spot previously held by  Flintshire, (221) who dropped down a notch to fifth. The six-year-old Dansili colt took second in the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational at Belmont Park this past Saturday over a turf course listed as yielding – a course that he is known not to favor.

Unchanged is Travers Stakes winner Arrogate (206) who stays steady in sixth.

Moving into the top-ten in seventh place this week is 2015 Eclipse Award Three-Year-Old Filly Champion Stellar Wind (199) after winning the Grade I Zenyatta Stakes at Santa Anita this past Saturday. The now four-year-old filly bested the three-time Eclipse Award champion Beholder (98), who came in second in that race and now drops down a step to eighth.

The remaining top 10 is rounded out by:   Melatonin (66) and Cavorting (55).