For the fourth consecutive week, Korea Racing Authority's 5-year-old Knicks Go is the No. 1 ranked horse in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll, while the 4-year-old filly Gamine, winner of Saratoga's Grade 1 Kettle One Ballerina Stakes, moved into fourth place.
Knicks Go, trained by Brad Cox, received 19 first-place votes and 325 points. This year, he has won the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park, the Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap, and the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga in his most recent start on Aug. 7.
St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska remained in second place with six first-place votes and 307 points. Letruska won her fifth race of 2021 on Saturday, taking the Grade 1 Personal Ensign at Saratoga by a half-length. Trained by Fausto Gutierrez, Letruska also has won two other Grade 1 stakes in the Apple Blossom at Oaklawn Park and the Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park.
Godolphin's 3-year-old Essential Quality retained third place in the poll following his half-length win over Midnight Bourbon in Saturday's Grade 1 Runhappy Travers Stakes at Saratoga. Also trained by Cox, Essential Quality, who won the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes in June and took Saratoga's Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes earlier this month, has 10 first-place votes and 294 points.
Michael Lund Petersen's Gamine rose from seventh to fourth place with 183 points. Trained by Bob Baffert, Gamine remained unbeaten in four starts this year when she scored a 1 ¾-length triumph in the Ballerina. Last year's champion female sprinter also has 2021 wins in the Grade 3 Las Flores at Santa Anita Park, the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff at Churchill Downs, and the Grade 2 Great Lady M Stakes at Los Alamitos Race Course.
Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, winner of the Grade 2 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs and second in the Whitney, drops one spot to fifth place. Trained by Brendan Walsh, Maxfield has 166 points.
Klaravich Stables' 4-year-old gelding Domestic Spending is in sixth place with 119 points. Trained by Chad Brown, this year Domestic Spending finished in a dead heat for first in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs, won the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes at Belmont Park, and finished second in the Grade 1 Mr. D. Stakes at Arlington Park on Aug. 14.
Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior defeated the previously unbeaten Life Is Good by a neck in Saturday's Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens Memorial Stakes for 3-year-olds at Saratoga, and rose from 11th to seventh place in the poll with 115 points. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Jackie's Warrior won the Grade 2 Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 1 and the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs on May 1.
Shadwell Stable's 3-year-old filly Malathaat stayed in eighth place with 90 points. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Malathaat won the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 21 to go along with her two other Grade 1 scores in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes at Keeneland and the Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs.
Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's Silver State dropped three places to ninth with 69 points. Also trained by Asmussen, Silver State has four wins this year, including the Grade 1 Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park.
Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss's Hot Rod Charlie dropped one spot to 10th place with 43 points. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie, was third in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve and finished second in the Belmont Stakes. He crossed the wire first in the Grade 1 TVG.com Haskell Stakes on July 17 but was disqualified for interference and was placed seventh.
The NTRA Top Thoroughbred polls are the sport's most comprehensive surveys of experts. Every week 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. All horses that have raced in the U.S., are in training in the U.S., or are known to be pointing to a major event in the U.S. are eligible for the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll. Voting in the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through Nov. 6.
The full results for the NTRA Thoroughbred Polls can be found on the NTRA website at: https://www.ntra.com/ntra-top-thoroughbred-poll-august-30-2021/
Full accounting of top 10 votes by voter can be found at: https://mk0ntrauj6jy9vera.kinstacdn.com/wp-content/uploads/Polls-week28-by_voter-2021.pdf
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