Knicks Go, Letruska and Essential Quality retained the top three spots, respectively, in this week’s NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll while Medina Spirit (seventh) and Art Collector (eighth) moved into the Top 10 following impressive victories in their final tune-ups for the Breeders’ Cup World Championships on Nov. 5-6 at Del Mar.
Korea Racing Authority’s 5-year-old Knicks Go, who galloped to victory in Saturday’s Grade 3 Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs, retained his No. 1 rating in the poll for the ninth straight week. Trained by Brad Cox, Knicks Go is expected to make his next start in the Grade 1 $6 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 6.
St. George Stable’s 5-year-old mare Letruska, who is expected to make her next start this Sunday in the Grade 1 Spinster Stakes at Keeneland, remains in second place in this week’s poll. Letruska is a leading contender for the Grade 1, $2,000,000 Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff on Nov. 6.
Godolphin’s 3-year-old Essential Quality, also trained by Cox and winner of the Grade 1 Travers Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 28, remained in third place in the weekly poll. Essential Quality is expected to face older horses for the first time in the Classic.
Kirk and Judy Robison’s Jackie’s Warrior, a leading contender for the Grade 1, $2,000,000 Breeders’ Cup Sprint at six furlongs on Nov. 6, jumped two spots in this week’s poll to land in fourth position. Roadrunner Racing, William Strauss, Boat Racing, and Gainesway Stable’s Hot Rod Charlie, who secured his first Grade 1 victory in the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby at Parx on Sept. 25, moved from seventh to fifth place in the poll. Trained by Doug O’Neill, Hot Rod Charlie is expected to make his next start in the Classic.
Michael Lund Peterson’s Gamine, a leading contender for the Grade 1, $1,000,000 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint on Nov. 6, fell from fourth to sixth in this week’s poll. She was followed in the polling by Zedan Racing Stables’ Medina Spirt, an impressive winner of Saturday’s Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita and Bruce Lunsford’s Art Collector, winner of the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes Saturday at Belmont Park. Max Player and Domestic Spending rounded out the top 10.
TOP THOROUGHBRED POLL
Week 34 of the 2021 NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll conducted by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), covering racing performances through October 3. 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 (22) | 5-H | 6-4-0-0 | 323 | 1 |
| 2 | LETRUSKA (6) | 5-M | 6-5-1-0 | 286 | 2 |
| 3 | ESSENTIAL QUALITY (6) | 3-C | 6-5-0-0 | 283 | 3 |
| 4 | JACKIE'S WARRIOR | 3-C | 6-4-1-1 | 137 | 6 |
| 5 | HOT ROD CHARLIE | 3-C | 6-2-1-2 | 128 | 7 |
| 6 | GAMINE | 4-F | 4-4-0-0 | 124 | 4 |
| 7 | MEDINA SPIRIT | 3-C | 8-4-3-1 | 121 | 15 |
| 8 | ART COLLECTOR | 4-C | 4-3-0-0 | 92 | - |
| 9 | MAX PLAYER | 4-C | 4-2-0-0 | 80 | 8 |
| 10 | DOMESTIC SPENDING | 4-G | 3-2-1-0 | 65 | 9 |
Other horses receiving votes: MAXFIELD (48), MALATHAAT (48), LIFE IS GOOD (45), SHEDARESTHEDEVIL (24), WAR LIKE GODDESS (12), GUFO (9), MONOMOY GIRL (7), SILVER STATE (7), HELLO HOT ROD (7), ALTHIQA (6), DR. SCHIVEL (6), COLONEL LIAM (3), MO FORZA (3), GOING GLOBAL (2), WAR GODDESS (2), UNITED (1), PRINCESS GRACE (1)