CHC, Inc. and WinStar Farm LLC's 4-year-old Life Is Good, winner of last Saturday's Whitney (G1) at Saratoga, has moved into second place behind the undefeated Flightline in the latest Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, while Happy Saver, the Whitney runner-up, moved into the rankings for the first time at No. 7. The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings is a weekly rating of the top 10 horses in contention for the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, on Nov. 5.
Life Is Good, trained by Todd Pletcher, won his third race in four starts this year, and his second Grade 1 triumph of 2022, having taken the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) in January. Life Is Good rose from third place to second in the rankings with 292 points. He trails Flightline, who leads the rankings for the seventh consecutive week with 332 votes. Owned by Hronis Racing LLC, Siena Farm LLC, Summer Wind Equine LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, and Woodford Racing, LLC, Flightline is scheduled to start next in the Sept. 3 TVG Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar, a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In automatic qualifier for the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.
Winchell Thoroughbreds' Epicenter is the highest-rated 3-year-old in the rankings. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Epicenter, winner of Saratoga's Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) on July 30, improved from fourth place to third this week, garnering 216 votes. Country Grammer, who won the Dubai World Cup (G1) and was recently second in the San Diego Handicap (G2), moved up one position from sixth to fifth place. Owned by Commonwealth Thoroughbreds, LLC, WinStar Farm LLC, and Zedan Racing Stables, Inc., and trained by Bob Baffert, Country Grammer has 215 votes. Boat Racing, LLC, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss' 4-year-old Hot Rod Charlie, second in the Dubai World Cup (G1), and third in the Whitney, rose one spot to fifth place with 148 votes.
Grandview Equine, Cheyenne Stable LLC, and LNJ Foxwoods 4-year-old Olympiad finished fourth in the Whitney after winning his first five starts this year. Trained by Bill Mott, Olympiad drops from second to sixth place with 130 votes. Wertheimer and Frere's Happy Saver made the biggest leap in the rankings this week, rising from 15th to seventh place after finishing 2 lengths behind Life Is Good in the Whitney. The 5-year-old Happy Saver, who finished second behind Flightline in the Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap (G1) before the Whitney, earned 109 votes.
Fox Hill Farms, Inc. and Siena Farm LLC's 6-year-old gelding Royal Ship (BRZ), winner of the San Diego Handicap, drops from seventh to eighth place with 86 votes.
Gold Square LLC's 3-year-old Cyberknife, winner of the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G2) on July 23 for trainer Brad Cox, slipped one spot to ninth place with 79 votes. Pletcher's third runner in the top 10 is Whisper Hill Farm LLC's 3-year-old Charge It. A 23-length winner of the Dwyer Stakes (G3) at Belmont Park on July 2, Charge It is in 10th place with 37 votes.
The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings are determined by a panel of leading Thoroughbred racing media, horseplayers, and members of the Breeders' Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel. Rankings will be announced each week through Oct. 11. A list of voting members can be found here.
In the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, each voter rates horses on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order.
Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings – Aug. 9, 2022*
| Rank | Horse | Votes | First-Place Votes | Previous Week |
| 1 | Flightline | 332 | 27 | 1 |
| 2 | Life Is Good | 292 | 4 | 3 |
| 3 | Epicenter | 216 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 | Country Grammer | 215 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Hot Rod Charlie | 148 | 0 | 6 |
| 6 | Olympiad | 130 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Happy Saver | 109 | 0 | 15 |
| 8 | Royal Ship (BRZ) | 86 | 0 | 7 |
| 9 | Cyberknife | 79 | 0 | 8 |
| 10 | Charge It | 37 | 0 | 9 |
*Note – The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings have no bearing on qualification or selection into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.
The 2022 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, which will be run at 1 ¼ miles on the main track at Keeneland, is limited to 14 starters. The race will be broadcast live on NBC.
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