Tripoli, Mishriff Join Top 10 In Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings

Knicks Go, winner of the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) and the Whitney (G1), stayed atop the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings, while two of last week's Breeders' Cup Challenge Series winners, Tripoli and Mishriff (IRE), moved into the top 10. The 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). 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.

The 5-year-old Knicks Go, owned by Korea Racing Authority and trained by Brad Cox, received 307 votes, maintaining the top spot for the third consecutive week. Godolphin's 3-year-old Essential Quality, winner of the Belmont Stakes (G1) and Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), is in second place with 273 votes. Also trained by Cox, Essential Quality is expected to run in this Saturday's Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga.

The 4-year-old Maxfield, also owned by Godolphin, is in third place with 254 votes. Trained by Brendan Walsh, Maxfield earned a free berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic when he won the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs in June.

Three-year-old Hot Rod Charlie, owned by Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing and William Strauss, and trained by Doug O'Neill, is in fourth place with 204 votes.

Hronis Racing's 4-year-old Tripoli jumped into the top 10 for the first time off a sparkling win in the TVG Pacific Classic (G1) at Del Mar. The victory gave Tripoli an automatic berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic. Trained by John Sadler, Tripoli is in fifth place with 125 votes.

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska dropped one spot to sixth place with 107 votes. Letruska, trained by Fausto Gutierrez, has won four of five starts this year, including the Ogden Phipps (G1) at Belmont Park and the Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs.

Prince A A Faisal's 4-year-old Mishriff was another “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic last week when he captured the Juddmonte International (G1) on turf at York Racecourse in England. Trained by John and Thady Gosden, Mishriff, who is in seventh place with 95 votes, also won the Saudi Cup (G1) and the Longines Dubai Sheema Classic (G1) this year.

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's 4-year-old Silver State slipped two spots, from sixth to eighth place, with 70 votes. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Silver State won his first four races of 2021 before finishing third in the Whitney. George E.

Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds Corp.'s 4-year-old Max Player, also trained by Asmussen, dropped from eighth to ninth place with 63 votes. Max Player won the Suburban Stakes (G2) at Belmont Park in July.

Another runner moving into the top 10 for the first time is the undefeated 3-year-old Life Is Good. Owned by CHC Inc and WinStar Farm, Life Is Good won both the Sham Stakes (G3) and the San Felipe Stakes (G2) before being sidelined with an ankle injury in the spring. Now back in training, Life Is Good is in 10th place with 58 votes.

Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings – Aug. 24, 2021*

Rank Horse Votes First-Place Votes Previous Week
1 Knicks Go 307 20 1
2 Essential Quality 273 5 2
3 Maxfield 254 4 3
4 Hot Rod Charlie 204 1 4
5 Tripoli 125 0 0
6 Letruska 107 0 5
7 Mishriff (IRE) 95 3 17
8 Silver State 70 0 6
9 Max Player 63 0 8
10 Life Is Good 58 0 13

*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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Malathaat Becomes Fourth Female To Be Ranked In NTRA’s Top Thoroughbred Poll

Korea Racing Authority's 5-year-old Knicks Go kept his No. 1 rating in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll for the third straight week, while the 3-year-old filly Malathaat, winner of the Grade 1 Alabama Stakes, moved into eighth place. Malathaat joined Letruska, Gamine and Shedaresthedevil as the fourth female star in the top 10.

Knicks Go, trained by Brad Cox, received 30 first-place votes and 359 points. A winner three times in five starts this year, Knicks Go captured the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park, the Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap, and scored a dominant, front-running victory in the Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga on Aug. 7.

Places two through seven in the poll remained unchanged. St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska is in second place with five first-place votes and 320 points. Letruska has won four races this year for trainer Fausto Gutierrez, including the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park and the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs.

Godolphin's 3-year-old Essential Quality, who won the July 31 Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga, remained in third place with one first-place vote and 271 points. Also trained by Cox, Essential Quality, who captured the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 5, is expected to start in this Saturday's Grade 1 Runhappy Travers Stakes at Saratoga.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, winner of the Grade 2 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs and second in the Whitney, is in fourth place. Trained by Brendan Walsh, Maxfield has 237 points.

Klaravich Stables' 4-year-old gelding Domestic Spending, the only turf horse in the top 10, is in fifth place with one first-place vote and 156 points. Second in the Grade 1 Mr. D. Stakes at Arlington Park on Aug. 14, Domestic Spending, trained by Chad Brown, finished in a dead heat for first in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs, and won the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes at Belmont Park.

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's Silver State, winner of four races in 2021 including the Grade 1 Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont Park, remained in sixth place with 135 points.

Michael Lund Petersen's 4-year-old Gamine, the 2020 champion female sprinter, is in seventh place with 90 points. Unbeaten in three starts this year for trainer Bob Baffert, Gamine is slated to run in this Saturday's Grade 1 Ketel One Ballerina at Saratoga.

Shadwell Stable's Malathaat, a determined 1 ½-length winner in the Alabama, jumped from 20th to eighth place this week with 85 points. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Malathaat has won three races in four starts this year, highlighted by two other the Grade 1 victories in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes at Keeneland and the Longines Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs. Her lone defeat was a second-place finish by a head in the Grade 1 Coaching Club American Oaks to Maracuja at Saratoga on July 24. A daughter of two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, Malathaat finished fifth in the final NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll in June.

Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss's Hot Rod Charlie dropped one spot to ninth place with 65 points. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie, third in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, crossed the wire first in the Grade 1 TVG.com Haskell Stakes on July 17 but was disqualified and placed seventh due to interference.

Flurry Racing Stables, Qatar Racing and Big Aut Farms' 4-year-old filly Shedaresthedevil is in 10th place. Also trained by Cox, Shedaresthedevil has won three of four starts this year, including the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 1.

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-16-2021/

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Cox Trainees One-Two In Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings

Korea Racing Authority's 5-year-old Knicks Go, a front-running winner of the Whitney (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 7, has maintained the top spot 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.

Knicks Go, trained by Brad Cox, received 286 votes in his second week at No. 1. Knicks Go has won three of five starts this year, which in addition to the Whitney includes the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park in January and the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap (G3) in July.

Godolphin's 3-year-old Essential Quality, also trained by Cox, is in second place with 259 votes. Essential Quality won the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) at Saratoga and the Belmont Stakes (G1) in his last two starts.

Maxfield, second in the Whitney and winner of the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs, is in third place with 244 votes. Owned by Godolphin and trained by Brendan Walsh, the 4-year-old Maxfield gained a free berth into the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic with his win in the Stephen Foster.

Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss's 3-year-old Hot Rod Charlie, trained by Doug O'Neill, is in fourth place with 192 votes.

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska improved one position to fifth place with 109 votes. Letruska, trained by Fausto Gutierrez, has won four of five starts this year, including the Ogden Phipps (G1) at Belmont Park and the Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs.

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's 4-year-old Silver State rose from seventh to sixth place with 94 votes. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Silver State finished third in the Whitney after winning his first four races this year.

CRK Stable's 4-year-old Express Train, winner of the San Diego Handicap (G2) at Del Mar, is in seventh place with 90 votes.

George E. Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds Corp.'s 4-year-old Max Player, trained by Asmussen, is in eighth place with 65 votes. Max Player won the Suburban (G2) at Belmont Park in July.

Wertheimer and Frere's Happy Saver, third in the Suburban, is in ninth place. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Happy Saver has 54 votes.

Another horse trained by Pletcher, St. Elias Stable's Dr Post, has joined the top 10 for the first time. A winner twice in three starts this year, Dr Post, who captured the Monmouth Cup Stakes (G3) at Monmouth Park on July 17, has 53 votes.

Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings – Aug. 17, 2021*

Rank Horse Votes First-Place Votes Previous Week
1 Knicks Go 286 21 1
2 Essential Quality 259 4 2
3 Maxfield 244 5 3
4 Hot Rod Charlie 192 0 4
5 Letruska 109 0 6
6 Silver State 94 0 7
7 Express Train 90 0 8
8 Max Player 65 0 9
9 Happy Saver 54 0 10
10 Dr Post 53 0 13

*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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Knicks Go Retains Top Spot In NTRA Thoroughbred Poll

Korea Racing Authority's 5-year-old Knicks Go remained at No. 1 in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll for the second consecutive week, with the first seven places remaining largely unchanged.

Trained by Brad Cox, Knicks Go, who scored a commanding 4 ½-length victory in Saratoga's Grade 1 Whitney on Aug. 7, received 27 first-place votes and 338 points. The Whitney was the third win of the year for Knicks Go, who also captured the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational at Gulfstream Park and the Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap.

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska, trained by Fausto Gutierrez, is in second place with six first-place votes and 303 points. Letruska has won four of five starts this year, including the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park.

Godolphin's 3-year-old Essential Quality, who won the July 31 Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes at Saratoga, remained in third place. Also trained by Cox, Essential Quality, who captured the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 5, and finished No. 1 in the final NTRA Top 3-Year-Old Poll, has one first-place vote and 253 points.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, winner of the Grade 2 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs and second in the Whitney, has moved up one spot to fourth place. Trained by Brendan Walsh, Maxfield has 225 points.

Klaravich Stables' 4-year-old gelding Domestic Spending, whose valiant effort to catch Two Emmys in the Grade 1 Mr. D. Stakes at Arlington Park on Saturday fell just a neck short at the wire, dropped from fourth to fifth place with 150 points. Trained by Chad Brown, Domestic Spending had previously finished in a dead heat for first in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic at Churchill Downs, and won the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes at Belmont Park.

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's Silver State, who finished third in the Whitney after four consecutive wins, remained in sixth place with 139 points.

Michael Lund Petersen's 4-year-old Gamine, the 2020 champion female sprinter, retained seventh place with 90 points. Gamine, trained by Bob Baffert, is unbeaten in three starts this year, including a victory in the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff presented by Kendall Jackson Winery at Churchill Downs.

Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss's Hot Rod Charlie rose from ninth to eighth place with 60 points. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie, third in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, crossed the wire first in the Grade 1 TVG.com Haskell Stakes but was disqualified and placed seventh due to interference.

New to the Top 10 is Flurry Racing Stables, Qatar Racing and Big Aut Farms' 4-year-old filly Shedaresthedevil. Also trained by Cox, Shedaresthedevil improved from 11th to ninth place this week. Shedaresthedevil has won three of four starts this year, including the Grade 1 Clement Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 1.

Kirk and Judy Robison's 3-year-old Jackie's Warrior also joined the Top 10 this week. Trained by Asmussen, Jackie's Warrior, who won the Grade 2, 6 ½-furlong Amsterdam Stakes at Saratoga by 7 ¼ lengths on Aug. 1, jumped from 12th into a 10th-place tie with Godophin's Mystic Guide, the Group 1 Dubai World Cup winner, who is out for the rest of the year with a knee injury. Jackie's Warrior and Mystic Guide have 41 points apiece.

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-16-2021/

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