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Improbable Takes Over Top Spot In Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings

Improbable, a commanding 4 ½-length winner of Saturday's Awesome Again Stakes (G1) at Santa Anita Park, leaped from fourth to first place in Week #11 of the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, overtaking stablemate Maximum Security for the top spot.

The 2020 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings is a weekly poll of the top 10 horses in contention for the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). The 1 ¼-mile Classic, scheduled to be run on Nov. 7 at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., is the climactic race of the Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Improbable (308 votes), owned by WinStar Farm, CHC Inc. and SF Racing, and Maximum Security (274 votes), the Awesome Again runner-up, owned by Gary and Mary West, Michael Tabor, Mrs. John Magnier and Derrick Smith, are both trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. The Awesome Again was a Breeders' Cup Challenge automatic qualifying race for the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic. Improbable had already earned a Classic berth when he won the Whitney (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 1.

GMB Racing's Tom's d'Etat (268 votes), who captured the “Win and You're In” Stephen Foster Stakes (G2), drops from second to third place, and is now followed in fourth by Sackatoga Stable's Tiz the Law (223 votes), winner of both the Belmont (G1) and Travers Stakes (G1).

The next six places in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings remain unchanged. Spendthrift Farm, MyRaceHorse Stable, Madaket Stables and Starlight Racing's Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Authentic (207 votes), the 9-5 favorite in Saturday's “Win and You're In” Preakness Stakes (G1), is in fifth place. Also trained by Baffert, Authentic earned a Classic berth when he won the TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park on July 18. Authentic is followed by Allied Racing Stable's By My Standards (162 votes) and W.S. Farish's Code of Honor (92 votes) in sixth and seventh place, respectively.

Bruce Lunsford's Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) winner Art Collector (83 votes), the 5-2 second choice in the Preakness, is in eighth place, one spot ahead of Sagamore Farm and WinStar Farm's Woodward Stakes (G1) winner Global Campaign (74 votes). Juddmonte Farms' Suburban Stakes (G2) winner Tacitus (64 votes) is in 10^th place.

Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings – Sept. 30, 2020*

RANK	HORSE	TOTAL VOTES	FIRST-PLACE VOTES
1	Improbable	308	15
2	Maximum Security	274	7
3	Tom's d'Etat	268	8
4	Tiz the Law	223	4
5	Authentic	207	0
6	By My Standards	162	0
7	Code of Honor	92	0
8	Art Collector	83	0
9	Global Campaign	74	0
10	Tacitus	64	0

*Note – The Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings have no bearing on qualification or selection into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic.

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. 13. 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.

The 2020 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic will be televised live on NBC.

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Breeders’ Cup Announces Free Fan Contest: $5,000 Preakness Spin To Win

The Breeders' Cup, one of Thoroughbred horse racing's most prestigious international events, today announces the $5,000 Preakness Spin to Win contest. Surrounding the Preakness Stakes (G1), which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., the contest will offer new opportunities to win cash prizes and rewards while bringing in both longtime horse racing fans and new viewers to the sport.

“Now that the Preakness Stakes has become a part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge “Win and You're In” Series, the anticipation and stakes are higher than ever before as fans wait to see which horse will win and go on to compete in the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 7,” said Justin McDonald, Breeders' Cup Senior Vice President of Marketing. “The Preakness presents the perfect opportunity to engage the horse racing community during one of the sport's biggest days and we're hopeful that this contest will drive additional awareness and viewership surrounding the race as well.”

Fans are able to participate in the digital contest by visiting BreedersCup.com/Preakness to spin a digital wheel, from which players will be assigned at random a horse running in the Preakness Stakes. On Oct. 3, participants are encouraged to watch the Preakness Stakes live on NBC to find out if their chosen horse wins. Six lucky winners will be selected from the pool of entrants who were assigned the winning horse of the Preakness Stakes. The winner of the grand prize will earn a total of $5,000, while five additional winners will receive $250 gift cards to be redeemed at the Breeders' Cup Shop.

The $5,000 Preakness Spin to Win is open now and will run until 6:45 p.m. ET on Oct. 3. Winners must be legal residents of the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec) and be at least 18 years of age at the time of entry. To view more details surrounding the official rules for the contest, fans may visit BreedersCup.com/Preakness.

The 2020 Breeders' Cup World Championships will return to Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. Nov. 6-7 for the second time in the event's history. For more information surrounding the 2020 Breeders' Cup World Championships, please visit BreedersCup.com. Fans interested in Breeders' Cup's ongoing efforts to alleviate the impact of COVID-19 on the horse racing community and contributing to the organization's relief efforts

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Improbable’s Awesome Again Win Moves Him To The Front In NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll

A third straight Grade 1 victory has put Improbable in the driver's seat of the handicap ranks heading into the November 7 Breeders' Cup Classic as the son of City Zip takes over the lead in this week's National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top Thoroughbred Poll.

Trained by Hall of Famer Bob Baffert for owners WinStar Farm, China Horse Club International, and SF Racing, Improbable moved to the forefront of the race for divisional honors when he captured the Grade 1 Awesome Again Stakes by 4 ½ lengths on Sept. 26. That victory earned the 4-year-old chestnut colt 28 first-place votes and 354 points in the poll, knocking his stablemate Maximum Security out of the top spot.

Since opening his 2020 campaign with a runner-up finish in the April 11 Oaklawn Mile Stakes, Improbable has reeled off top-level wins in the Hollywood Gold Cup, Whitney, and Awesome Again Stakes.

“Improbable is getting really good,” Baffert told the Santa Anita Park publicity team on Sunday. “He's got a lot of Grade 1s on his resume, he's filled out, matured, and Drayden (Van Dyke) rode a great race, just sat back there early on.”

Champion Maximum Security finished second in the Awesome Again Stakes, halting a six-race win streak. The 4-year-old bay colt dropped to second overall in the poll with 3 first-place votes and 277 points.

Multiple Grade 1 winner Vekoma (3 first-place votes, 246 points) is third followed by Tom's d'Etat (2 first-place votes, 228 points) and champion Monomoy Girl (1 first-place vote, 195 points).

Multiple graded stakes winner By My Standards remains sixth with 153 points followed by champion Midnight Bisou (139 points) and Tiz the Law (108). Kentucky Derby winner Authentic (99 points) and multiple Grade 1 winner Rushing Fall (71) round out the top 10.

Authentic, who is also trained by Baffert, continues to head up the NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll ahead of his expected run in the Oct. 3 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. The son of Into Mischief notched 23 first-place votes and 356 points this week and was installed as the 9-5 morning-line favorite for Saturday's Preakness.

Belmont and Travers Stakes winner Tiz the Law continues to hold in second with 14 first-place votes and 347 points while Grade 2 winner Art Collector – the 5-2 second choice on the Preakness morning line – remains in third with 269 points.

Kentucky Oaks runner-up and Preakness entrant Swiss Skydiver moves up one spot to fourth with 176 points followed by the recently retired Honor A. P. (162 points) and Thousand Words (149).

Kentucky Oaks winner Shedaresthedevil sits seventh with 116 points with Preakness entrant Max Player (96 points) in eighth. Grade 1 winner Gamine (90 points) and Kentucky Derby third-place finisher Mr. Big News (62) complete the top 10.

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 both the Top Three-Year-Old Poll and the Top Thoroughbred Poll is scheduled to be conducted through the conclusion of the Breeders' Cup in November.

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Drury: Art Collector’s Versatile Style Will Be A Major Advantage In Preakness Stakes

Tommy Drury didn't get much sleep on Monday night of Kentucky Derby week. The trainer of one of the top Derby contenders, Art Collector, had found a decent-sized cut on the back of the colt's right front hoof, apparently suffered during his Monday morning gallop.

Drury and owner/breeder Bruce Lunsford faced a difficult decision. The colt's hoof was sensitive to the touch, and neither man wanted to subject the horse to the stress of the Run for the Roses unless he was 100 percent. Still, it would have been the first starter in the Kentucky Derby for both Drury and Lunsford, and making the decision to walk away from what could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity was challenging.

“It was certainly difficult,” Drury said on an NTRA teleconference this Monday. “The Derby is a race of a lifetime for a horse trainer. At end of day, the responsibility we have is to put the horse first. It would not have been fair to lead him over there knowing there was an issue going on. It was a no-brainer. We want our horse to be good for the long haul, not just one race.”

Instead, Art Collector will be the 5-2 second choice in this Saturday's Preakness Stakes at Pimlico. He'll face a field of 11, including Kentucky Derby winner Authentic (9-5 favorite) and Kentucky Oaks runner-up Swiss Skydiver (6-1).

Art Collector, a 3-year-old son of Bernardini, won the G2 Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland in July. He stalked the pace in that race, then won the Ellis Park Derby with a solid frontrunning display. That versatility in tactics gives Drury a bit of confidence heading into the Preakness Stakes.

“He has a little stop and go to him,” Drury explained, adding that jockey Brian Hernandez, Jr. is very familiar with Art Collector's style. “You can use him and get him going again if you need to. In a race like this, that can be beneficial.”

The post position, three, won't be an issue for Art Collector either, Drury said. The colt is quick enough to get out of the gate and near the lead, and tactical enough for Hernandez to be able to take back off the pace if others decide to go.

No matter what happens this Saturday, Drury is looking forward to the future with Art Collector. This year, the Breeders' Cup Classic is the likely next stop on the colt's schedule, and Drury will also look for Art Collector to return as a 4-year-old.

“Art Collector is a very special horse to us,” summarized Drury. “He has taken my career to places I've never dreamed it would go. I've not had anything like him ever before.”

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