FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Joan Lawrence, NTRA Communications, (646) 335-6833 

NYQUIST VOTED NUMBER ONE IN FINAL NTRA TOP 3-YEAR-OLD POLL;

CALIFORNIA CHROME RETAINS FIRST PLACE IN TOP THOROUGHBRED POLL

Saratoga Springs, NY (Monday, June 13, 2016) –  Nyquist, (35 first-place votes, 384 points ) winner of the Kentucky Derby, and who could do no better than third in the second jewel of the Triple Crown the Preakness Stakes and later was forced to sit out the Belmont Stakes having come down with a fever is ranked number one in the final NTRA Top Three-Year-Old Poll in week fifteen of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top 3-Year-Old Poll.

Exaggerator (310) , who ran in all three-legs of the Triple Crown; second in the Kentucky Derby, winner of the Preakness Stakes, and then finishing eleventh out of a field of  thirteen in Saturday’s Belmont Stakes takes the second slot in the top-ten for trainer Keith Desormeaux.

Moving up the ranks is the newly minted Belmont Stakes winner Creator (291) who just nosed out Destin (213, fifth in the rankings) at the wire for newly elected Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, owners, WinStar Farm and Bobby Flay.

Rounding out the top-ten are: Songbird (4 first-place votes; 270 points); Gun Runner (186); Mohaymen (121); Carina Mia (73); Lani (57) and Unified (55).

The NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll is the sport’s most comprehensive survey of experts ranking the generation of Thoroughbreds that includes all Triple Crown contenders. Every week as many as 50 eligible 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 Three-Year-Old Poll concluded today, Monday, June 13, following the Belmont Stakes, the third jewel of the Triple Crown.

In the Top Thoroughbred Poll, the all-time leading money earner in the U.S., California Chrome, remains on top for the fifteenth straight week with ( 37 first-place votes, 386 points) after his smashing 3 3/4-length victory in the $10 million Dubai World Cup (Group 1). With earnings of $12,532,650, California Chrome surpassed 2008 Dubai World Cup winner Curlin, who retired to stud with earnings of $10,501,800.

North American champion turf female Tepin (1 first-place vote; 298) remains second in the rankings for owner Robert Masterson and trainer Mark Casse.

Three-time Eclipse Award Champion, Beholder (287) remains third in the rankings after her 1 ½ victory in the Vanity Mile (GI) at Santa Anita Park with her regular rider Hall of Famer Gary Stevens, her trainer, Hall of Famer, Richard Mandella and owner, B. Wayne Hughes.

Rounding out the field is: Frosted (1 first-place vote; 285); Nyquist (180); Flintshire (176); Effinex (117); Songbird (99); Hopportunity (55) and Exaggerator (54).

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.