Pegasus World Cup winner Art Collector tops Week 1 of the 2023 NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll conducted by the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), covering racing performances through Jan. 29. Voting is conducted by national media.
The Bill Mott trainee kicked off his 6-year-old season with the biggest win of his career, drawing away to win the Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup by 4 1/2 lengths. Art Collector, sired by Bernardini, now owns 11 wins from 21 starts with earnings over $4 million.
Atone, winner of the Pegasus Turf for trainer Mike Maker, was voted to fourth on the Top Thoroughbred Poll.
Taiba is next on the Top Thoroughbred Poll, the 4-year-old Gun Runner colt's most recent start a win in the G1 Malibu on Dec. 26. Trained by Bob Baffert, Taiba is expected to target the Saudi Cup. Pegasus runner-up Defunded, also trained by Baffert, comes in a third on the poll, while stablemate Country Grammer, most recently winner of the Dec. 26 San Antonio Stakes, sits in fifth.
The remaining five places on the Top Thoroughbred Poll are as follows: Cody's Wish, Nest, Elite Power, Queen Goddess, and Clairiere.
The first Top 3-Year-Old poll of 2023 is led by Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner Forte, a son of Violence trained by Todd Pletcher. The colt has not yet started this year, but is expected to target the Florida Road to the Kentucky Derby.
In second position is last weekend's G3 Southwest winner Arabian Knight (Baffert), while G3 Lecomte winner Instant Coffee sits in third (Brad Cox).
The remaining places on the Top 3-Year-Old poll are as follows: Cave Rock, Victory Formation, Blazing Sevens, Havnameltdown, Reincarnate, National Treasure, and Wonder Wheel.
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 7 following the Breeders' Cup World Championships.
Rankings on poll are on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-1 basis with first place votes in parentheses, 2023 record and total points. A-S: Age-Sex, Sex: C-colt, G-gelding, H-horse, F-filly, M-mare, R-ridgling.
Click here to see the full results and votes by voter: https://www.ntra.com/ntra-top-
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