LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 11, 2021) ― Korea Racing Stable’s 5-year-old horse Knicks Go, the leading contender for the Grade 1, $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 6 at Del Mar, retained his top ranking for the 10th consecutive week in this week’s NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Knicks Go, a winner of four of six starts this year including his last three races, received 23 first place votes and 340 points.
St. George Stable’s 5-year-old mare Letruska remained in second place in the poll with six first place votes and 310 points following an impressive victory in Sunday’s Grade 1 Spinster Stakes at Keeneland. Trained by Fausto Gutierrez, Letruska is a leading contender for the Grade 1, $2 million Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
Another Cox trainee, Godolphin’s 3-year-old standout colt Essential Quality, who is expected to take on elders for the first time in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, remained in third place in this week’s poll with seven first place votes and 300 points.
Roadrunner Racing, William Strauss, Boat Racing and Gainesway Stable’s Hot Rod Charlie, another leading Classic contender, moved from fifth-place to fourth in this week’s poll with 156 points. Kirk and Judy Robison’s Jackie’s Warrior, a leading contender for the Grade 1, $2,000,000 Breeders’ Cup Sprint, fell one spot to fifth-place with 154 points.
Zedan Racing Stable’s Breeders’ Cup Classic hopeful, Medina Spirit (130 points), moved up one spot to sixth-place, overtaking Michael Lund Peterson’s Gamine (127 points), who is being pointed for the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint. There were no other changes in this week’s rankings with Bruce Lunsford’s Art Collector (98 points), George Hall’s Max Player (85 points) and Klaravich Stable’s Domestic Spending (70 points) rounding out the top 10.
TOP THOROUGHBRED POLL
Week 35 of the 2021 NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll conducted by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), covering racing performances through October 10. Current Horse of the Year ranking of the Top Thoroughbred on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-1 basis with first place votes in parentheses, 2021 record and total points. Poll Concludes Monday, Nov. 6. A-S: Age-Sex, Sex: C-colt, G-gelding, H-horse, F-filly, M-mare, R-ridgling.
| HORSE | A-S | STATS | POINTS | PVS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | KNICKS GO (23) | 5-H | 6-4-0-0 | 340 | 1 |
| 2 | LETRUSKA (6) | 5-M | 7-6-1-0 | 310 | 2 |
| 3 | ESSENTIAL QUALITY (7) | 3-C | 6-5-0-0 | 300 | 3 |
| 4 | HOT ROD CHARLIE | 3-C | 6-2-1-2 | 156 | 5 |
| 5 | JACKIE'S WARRIOR | 3-C | 6-4-1-1 | 154 | 4 |
| 6 | MEDINA SPIRIT | 3-C | 8-4-3-1 | 130 | 7 |
| 7 | GAMINE | 4-F | 4-4-0-0 | 127 | 6 |
| 8 | ART COLLECTOR | 4-C | 4-3-0-0 | 98 | 8 |
| 9 | MAX PLAYER | 4-C | 4-2-0-0 | 85 | 9 |
| 10 | DOMESTIC SPENDING | 4-G | 3-2-1-0 | 70 | 10 |
Other horses receiving votes: MAXFIELD (51), MALATHAAT (43), LIFE IS GOOD (36), SHEDARESTHEDEVIL (22), WAR LIKE GODDESS (17), SILVER STATE (8), MONOMOY GIRL (7), GOLDEN PAL (5), COLONEL LIAM (4), MYSTIC GUIDE (4), MO FORZA (3), ALTHIQA (3), GUFO (2), DR. SCHIVEL (2), WAR GODDESS (2), JACK CHRISTOPHER (1)