Emerging Market (red and white silks) gets past Pavlovian to prevail in the Louisiana Derby (G2) by a head and remain perfect in two lifetime starts. The Candy Ride (Arg) colt was ridden by Flavien Prat for trainer Chad Brown and owner Klaravich Stables. Photo credit: Hodges Photography
NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll – March 23, 2026
Week 9 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 22. 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 | 300 | 1 |
| 2 | COMMANDMENT (7) | 3-C | 2-2-0-0 | 266 | 2 |
| 3 | NEARLY (2) | 3-C | 2-2-0-0 | 208 | 3 |
| 4 | CLASS PRESIDENT | 3-C | 2-1-1-0 | 175 | 4 |
| 5 | SILENT TACTIC | 3-C | 3-1-2-0 | 123 | 5 |
| 6 | EMERGING MARKET (1) | 3-C | 2-2-0-0 | 122 | N/A |
| 7 | RENEGADE | 3-C | 1-1-0-0 | 107 | 6 |
| 8 | CHIEF WALLABEE | 3-C | 2-1-1-0 | 98 | 7 |
| 9 | POTENTE | 3-C | 2-2-0-0 | 81 | 8 |
| 10 | THE PUMA | 3-C | 3-1-1-1 | 57 | 9 |
Other horses receiving votes: INCREDIBOLT (51), FULLEFFORT (33), PAVLOVIAN (29), IRON HONOR (17), PLUTARCH (16), CANALETTO (13), FURTHER ADO (12), GOLDEN TEMPO (9), EXPLORA (8), ENGLISHMAN (7), LITMUS TEST (7), REAGAN’S HONOR (5), ZANY (5), SOLITUDE DUDE (4), BELLA BALLERINA (4), CHEROKEE NATION (1), INTREPIDO (1), CRUDE VELOCITY (1)
TOP THOROUGHBRED POLL
| PLACE | HORSE | A-S | STATS | POINTS | PVS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SOVEREIGNTY (14) | 4-C | 0-0-0-0 | 258 | 1 |
| 2 | FOREVER YOUNG (JPN) (15) | 5-H | 1-1-0-0 | 237 | 2 |
| 3 | NYSOS | 5-H | 1-0-1-0 | 223 | 3 |
| 4 | SKIPPYLONGSTOCKING (1) | 7-H | 2-2-0-0 | 202 | 6 |
| 5 | KNIGHTSBRIDGE | 5-H | 2-2-0-0 | 161 | 4 |
| 6 | MAGNITUDE | 4-C | 1-1-0-0 | 147 | 5 |
| 7 | JOURNALISM | 4-C | 0-0-0-0 | 132 | 7 |
| 8 | SPLENDORA | 5-M | 2-2-0-0 | 89 | 8 |
| 9 | IMAGINATION (2) | 5-H | 1-1-0-0 | 75 | 9 |
| 10 | WHITE ABARRIO | 7-H | 1-0-1-0 | 37 | 11 |
Other horses receiving votes: BOOK ‘EM DANNO (35), TOUCHUPONASTAR (34), NITROGEN (32), BAEZA (25), HIT SHOW (16), REEF RUNNER (15), TEST SCORE (12), LAGYNOS (10), BRITISH ISLES (8), MAJESTIC OOPS (3), DESTINO D’ORO (3), CORNUCOPIAN (3), BISHOPS BAY (1), BENTORNATO (1), FULL SERRANO (1)