Epicenter and Life is Good have topped the first two Top Thoroughbred polls conducted by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), covering racing performances through Feb. 27. Voting is conducted by national media.
The Three-Year-Old poll represents horses competing up and through the Triple Crown.
Epicenter, last-out winner of the G2 Risen Star Stakes at the Fair Grounds for trainer Steve Asmussen, heads the first 3-year-old poll with seven first-place votes. Winchell Thoroughbreds' son of Not This Time has won three of his five starts and tops the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 64 points earned.
Smile Happy, second in the Risen Star for trainer Ken McPeek, is ranked second this week with two first-place votes. Lucky Seven Stable's son of Runhappy has two wins from three starts, including last fall's G2 Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at Churchill Downs, and is third on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 30 points earned.
Third in the first NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll of 2022 is Messier, with 11 first-place votes. The son of Empire Maker won the G3 Bob Lewis Stakes in impressive fashion, but is currently ineligible for Kentucky Derby points due to Churchill Downs' ban against his trainer Bob Baffert.
The full 3-year-old rankings, along with points earned*, are as follows:
- Epicenter (254)
- Smile Happy (169)
- Messier (165)
- Classic Causeway (153)
- White Abarrio (114)
- Un Ojo (86)
- Corniche (83-T)
- Secret Oath (83-T)
- Zandon (72)
- Mo Donegal (61)
Meanwhile, Pegasus World Cup winner Life Is Good, trained by Todd Pletcher, leads the first NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll of 2022. The Top Thoroughbred poll represents horses competing for Horse of the Year. The Top Thoroughbred Poll concludes on Tuesday, Nov. 8 following the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
The full Top Thoroughbred rankings, along with points earned*, are as follows:
- Life Is Good (295)
- Letruska (225)
- Colonel Liam (181)
- Hot Rod Charlie (145)
- Flightline (137)
- Mandaloun (100)
- Midnight Bourbon (88)
- Country Grammer (73)
- Knicks Go (61)
- Express Train (43)
*Points earned on both polls are on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-1 basis.
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