With the order largely unchanged after several quiet weeks of graded stakes action, this weekend's Grade 1 Stephen Foster will see entries from two of the top ten on the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll.
Proxy, eighth on the poll, and Smile Happy, ninth, are both entered in the 1 1/8-mile contest set for Saturday at Ellis Park in Henderson, Ky. Winner of the G2 Oaklawn Handicap, Proxy has not raced since that start on April 22, but the Mike Stidham trainee has been working steadily at Fair Hill since mid-May. Smile Happy, trained by Ken McPeek, won the G2 Alysheba at Churchill last out.
Among the top rivals for those two in the Stephen Foster are: Smile Happy's stablemate Rattle N Roll, riding a three-race win streak including the G3 Pimlico Special; G2 New Orleans Classic winner West Will Power, defeated only 2 3/4 lengths by Smile Happy last out in the Alysheba and liable to improve for trainer Brad Cox; G1 Santa Anita Handicap winner Stilleto Boy, last-out third in the Oaklawn Handicap; and Last Samurai, the D. Wayne Lukas-trained winner of the G3 Razorback and G3 Essex over the winter at Oaklawn Park. Completing the talented field are G3 winner Happy American for trainer Neil Pessin and G3-placed Speed Bias for trainer Ron Moquett.
The Stephen Foster is a “Win and You're In” race for the Breeders' Cup Classic.
The NTRA poll remains led by multiple Grade 1 winner Cody's Wish, trained by Bill Mott, after his dominant performance in the Grade 1 Met Mile. Last fall's Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner is off to a big start in 2023, as is his Hall of Fame conditioner: Mott-trained Elite Power is second in this week's poll after a win in February's Riyadh Dirt Sprint (G3) and in the G2 True North.
Grade 1 Ogden Phipps winner Clairiere remains in third after her late-running victory for trainer Steve Asmussen, while the Chad Brown-trained In Italian stays in fourth by remaining undefeated this season with wins in the G1 Jenny Wiley and G1 Just A Game.
G1 Manhattan and G1 Turf Classic winner Up to the Mark ranks fifth for Todd Pletcher, while Defunded, winner of the G1 Hollywood Gold Cup for trainer Bob Baffert, ranks sixth. Brad Cox trainee Caravel bested the boys yet again in the G1 Jaipur and ranks seventh.
G1 Pegasus World Cup winner Art Collector closes out the rankings in 10th for Bill Mott.
The post NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll Largely Unchanged; Two Of Top 10 Expected For Saturday’s Stephen Foster appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
