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Essential Quality Retains Top Spot In Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings

Essential Quality, the Belmont Stakes (G1) and the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) winner, retained the No. 1 position for the third consecutive week in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, a weekly poll of the top 10 horses in contention for the $6 million Longines Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). This year's Longines Breeders' Cup Classic will be run at Del Mar racetrack in Del Mar, California, on Nov. 6 as the final race of the 38th Breeders' Cup World Championships.

Owned by Godolphin and trained by Brad Cox, the 3-year-old Essential Quality accumulated 273 votes, and leads stablemate Knicks Go, who is in second place with 270 votes. Also trained by Cox, the 5-year-old Knicks Go has won the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park and the Whitney (G1) at Saratoga this year.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, trained by Brendan Walsh, stayed in third place with 221 votes. A three-time winner in 2020, Maxfield secured an automatic berth in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he captured the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs in June. Belmont Stakes runner-up Hot Rod Charlie, trained by Doug O'Neill, is in fourth place with 178 votes. Owned by Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss, Hot Rod Charlie has been entered in Saturday's Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx Racing.

George E. Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds Corp's Max Player has won two Breeders' Cup Challenge Series races in the Longines Classic Division this year, scoring victories in the Suburban Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park in July and The Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga earlier this month. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Max Player is in fifth place with 163 votes.

Hronis Racing's 4-year-old Tripoli, who gained a free berth in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he won the TVG Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar in August, is in sixth place. Trained by John Sadler, Tripoli has 96 votes.

There was some juggling in the standings from places seven through 10 this week. Winchell Thoroughbreds' 3-year-old Midnight Bourbon rose two positions from ninth to seventh place with 90 points. Also trained by Asmussen, Midnight Bourbon finished a close second to Essential Quality in the Runhappy Travers Stakes. Midnight Bourbon is also entered in the Pennsylvania Derby. Prince A A Faisal's 4-year-old Mishriff (IRE) improved from 10^th place to eighth with 64 votes. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Mishriff earned an automatic starting position in the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he won the Juddmonte International Stakes (G1) at York Racecourse in England on Aug. 18.

Zedan Racing Stable's 3-year-old Medina Spirit, winner of the listed Shared Belief Stakes at Del Mar, slipped one spot to ninth place with 61 votes. St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska dropped from seventh place to 10^th with 53 votes. Trained by Fausto Gutierrez, Letruska has won three Grade 1 races this year, including last month's Personal Ensign Stakes at Saratoga.

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Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings – Sept. 21, 2021*

Rank	Horse	Votes	First-Place Votes	Previous Week
1	Essential Quality	273	8	1
2	Knicks Go	270	16	2
3	Maxfield	221	3	3
4	Hot Rod Charlie	178	1	4
5	Max Player	163	0	5
6	Tripoli	96	0	6
7	Midnight Bourbon	90	0	9
8	Mishriff (IRE)	64	2	10
9	Medina Spirit	61	0	8
10	Letruska	53	0	7

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

The 2021 Longines Breeders' Cup Classic, which will be run at 1 ¼ miles on the main track, is limited to 14 starters. The race will be broadcast live on NBC.

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 Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, each voter rates horses on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order.

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Jockey Declan Cannon To Miss ‘A Few Months’ With Vertebrae Fractures

In an incident at Indiana Grand on Monday first reported by the Daily Racing Form's Marty McGee, jockey Declan Cannon suffered several fractured vertebrae when his mount Zoikes clipped heels in the fifth race. His agent, Tim Hanisch, told bloodhorse.com Tuesday that the veteran rider had movement in all his extremities, but may require surgery.

“That will put him out for the near future, for a few months,” Hanisch told bloodhorse.com.

Zoikes, trained by Brendan Walsh, was reported to be uninjured in the incident, as were the remaining horses and riders in the race, several of whom had to alter course to avoid the fallen rival. Stewards conducted an inquiry but made no changes.

Cannon, a native of Ireland has ridden 300 winners from 2,839 starters in the United States since moving his tack here in late 2015.

Family Way Finds Winner’s Circle In Ladies Marathon At Kentucky Downs

Family Way and Tyler Gaffalione stalked the pace throughout the 1 5/16-mile Ladies Marathon at Kentucky Downs, went wide on the final turn, and then split horses in the stretch to take the last stakes race at the Franklin, Ky., track's 2021 meet. La Lune was second and Big Blue Nation third.

Breaking from post seven, Family Way was away fastest, giving way to Stand Tall early and settling in behind horses. Stand Tall held the lead on the backside, with Blame Debbie in second and Big Blue Nation third. Going down the hill, Blame Debbie took over, with Stand Tall shuffling back to third, just ahead of Family Way.

Blame Debbie held her lead around the race's final turn into the stretch, but soon gave way to Big Blue Nation as Family Way split horses at the top of the stretch to find running room on the outside of Blame Debbie. Big Blue Nation tried to hold off a surging Family Way, but the filly caught her at race's end, hitting the wire a neck in front with La Lune surging past Big Blue Nation to take second. Favorite Luck Money was fourth.

The final time for the 1 5/16 miles was 2:07.83. Find this race's chart here.

Family Way paid $13.20, $6.80, and $4.80. La Lune paid $8.60 and $5.40. Big Blue Nation paid $3.60.

Bred in Kentucky by Diamond Creek Farm, Family Way is a 4-year-old filly by Uncle Mo out of the Giant's Causeway mare Susie's Baby. She is owned by Hunter Valley Farm, Debra O'Connor, and Marc Detampel, and trained by Brendan Walsh. Consigned by Godolphin, she was sold to Fergus Galvin, agent, for $181,818 at the 2020 Arqana December Breeding Stock Sale. With her win in the Ladies Marathon, Family Way has two wins in five starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of four wins in 11 starts for career earnings of $441,543.

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Franklin-Simpson: The Lir Jet Finds His Best Stride Again At Kentucky Downs

Qatar Racing and Racehorse Club's The Lir Jet hadn't won a race since June of 2020, and had no luck in his first trip to the United States when ninth in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf last fall. Despite a trio of off-the-board finishes and a three-month layoff, the 3-year-old son of Prince of Lir made his return trip to the United States a winning one on Saturday at Kentucky Downs.

Piloted by Tyler Gaffalione for trainer Brendan Walsh, The Lir Jet moved up the inside rail to earn a 1 3/4-length victory at odds of 8-1 in the Grade 3 Franklin-Simpson Stakes. He completed 6 1/2 furlongs over the firm course in 1:15.38, giving David Redvers' Qatar Racing a third straight win in the race.

Into the Sunrise and Bodenheimer were quick early, the former speeding away to lead the first quarter mile in :22.18. The Lir Jet got prime position along the inside, moving into fifth around the turn as the two frontrunners hooked up for the stretch run. Into the Sunrise held firm until The Lir Jet came up his inside and took command, pulling away to win by 1 3/4 lengths.

Easy Time made up a ton of ground to finish second by a head over Fauci, with Into the Sunrise just a nose back in fourth.

Bred in Ireland by Mr. Donal Boylan, The Lir Jet was a $9,775 yearling purchase at Goffs. He won his first two starts, including the G2 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot, and was twice placed in G1 company as a juvenile before his trip to the Breeders' Cup. This year, The Lir Jet ran third in a G3 in April, but had managed no better than sixth in his three starts since. Overall, The Lir Jet owns three wins, two seconds and a third from 11 starts, with earnings of $313,882.

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