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Maxfield Remains On Top Of Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings

For the fourth consecutive week, Godolphin's Maxfield is rated No. 1 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 38^th Breeders' Cup World Championships.

The 4-year-old Maxfield, who has won three of four starts this year, including the Stephen Foster Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs on June 26, leads the Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings with 20 first-place votes and 299 total votes. Godolphin's 3-year-old Essential Quality, the Belmont Stakes (G1) winner, retained second place with 276 votes. Trained by Brad Cox, Essential Quality won last year's TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance (G1). Boat Racing, Gainesway Stable, Roadrunner Racing, and William Strauss's Hot Rod Charlie moved from fourth to third place this week with 219 votes. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie crossed the wire first in Saturday's TVG.com Haskell Stakes (G1) but was disqualified for interference and placed seventh. Juddmonte's 3-year-old Mandaloun finished a nose behind Hot Rod Charlie in the Haskell and was declared the race winner following the stewards' ruling. Mandaloun, also trained by Cox, jumped from ninth to fourth in the rankings with 172 votes.

Places five through eight in the rankings remained unchanged. Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go, the third Cox-trained horse in the top 10, is in fifth place with 147 votes. This year, Knicks Go has won the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at Gulfstream Park and the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap (G3) on July 2, which he captured by 10 ½ lengths. Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's 4-year-old Silver State is in sixth place with 128 votes. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Silver State is unbeaten in four starts this year, including victories in the Oaklawn Handicap (G2) and Belmont's Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap (G1). WinStar Farm's 4-year-old Country Grammer, winner of the Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) at Santa Anita Park, is in seventh place with 87 votes.

St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska, trained by Fausto Gutierrez, is in eighth place with 84 votes. Letruska has won four of five starts this year, including a 5 ¾-length victory in the Fleur de Lis Stakes (G2) at Churchill Downs on June 26. Wertheimer and Frere's 4-year-old Happy Saver, trained by Todd Pletcher, moved from 10th to ninth this week. Happy Saver, who lost his first race in six starts when he finished third in the Suburban (G2) at Belmont Park on July 3, has 64 votes. George E. Hall and SportBLX Thoroughbreds Corp.'s 4-year-old Max Player, who won the Suburban, is in 10^th place. Also trained by Asmussen, Max Player has 63 votes. Godolphin's Mystic Guide, who was third in last week's rankings, has been taken out of training due to an injury.

Longines Breeders' Cup Classic Rankings – July 20, 2021*

Rank	Horse	Votes	First-Place Votes	Previous Week
1	Maxfield	299	20	1
2	Essential Quality	276	8	2
3	Hot Rod Charlie	219	1	4
4	Mandaloun	172	0	9
5	Knicks Go	147	1	5
6	Silver State	128	0	6
7	Country Grammer	87	2	7
8	Letruska	84	0	8
9	Happy Saver	64	0	10
10	Max Player	63	0	12

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

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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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Letruska Retains Her Lead In NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll

For the third consecutive week, St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska has been voted No. 1 in the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll, while Klaravich Stables' 4-year-old gelding Domestic Spending has risen to third place.

Letruska, trained by Fausto Gutierrez, has Grade 1 victories in the Apple Blossom Handicap at Oaklawn Park and in the Ogden Phipps at Belmont Park. She also won her most recent race, the Grade 2 Fleur de Lis at Churchill Downs. A daughter of 2010 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, Letruska has 13 first-place votes and 280 points.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfied, trained by Brendan Walsh, holds onto second place with five first-place votes and 246 points. Maxfield has won three of four starts this year, including a commanding victory in the June 26 Grade 2 Stephen Foster Stakes at Churchill Downs. Maxfield's only career defeat in eight starts was a third-place finish in this year's Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap.

Domestic Spending, trained by Chad Brown, entered the NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll at No. 10 on May 3 after finishing in a dead heat for first with Colonel Liam in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic. Since then, Domestic Spending has steadily climbed in the rankings, helped largely by his 2 ¾-length victory in the Grade 1 Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes at Belmont Park on June 5. Domestic Spending moved from fourth to third place this week, earning six first-place votes and 216 points.

Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing's 4-year-old Silver State has won all four of his starts this year, including a last-out victory in the Grade 1 Hill 'N' Dale Metropolitan Handicap on June 5 at Belmont. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Silver State rose from fifth to fourth place with three first-place votes and 207 points.

Godolphin's 3-year-old Essential Quality, who won the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets, improved from sixth to fifth place. Trained by Brad Cox, Essential Quality, who also captured the Grade 2 Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, has three first-place votes and 181 points.

Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go, also trained by Cox, won the Grade 3 Prairie Meadows Cornhusker Handicap on July 2 by 10 ½ lengths. Also victorious in Gulfstream Park's Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January, Knicks go is in sixth place with 122 points.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Mystic Guide, winner of the Group 1 Dubai World Cup and second in the Grade 2 Suburban at Belmont, slipped from third to seventh place this week after the announcement that he will require surgery for a knee chip. Trained by Mike Stidham, Mystic Guide received two first-place votes and 102 points.

Michael Lund Petersen's 4-year-old Gamine, the 2020 champion female sprinter, has won all three of her starts this year, including the Grade 1 Derby City Distaff presented by Kendall Jackson Winery at Churchill Downs. Trained by Bob Baffert, Gamine has 81 points and is in eighth place.

Moving from 18th to ninth place this week is Juddmonte's 3-year-old Mandaloun. The third runner in the top 10 trained by Cox, Mandaloun was moved up from second to first place in the Grade 1 TVG.com Haskell Stakes at Monmouth Park on Saturday following the disqualification of Hot Rod Charlie. Mandaloun, who finished second in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve, has 47 points.

Rounding out the top 10 is another turf star, the 4-year-old filly Althiqa (GB). Owned by Godolphin and trained by Charlie Appleby, Althiqa captured her second Grade 1 this year on Saturday when she took the Diana Stakes at Saratoga. Althiqa, who has 45 points, also won the Longines Just a Game on June 5 at Belmont.

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-july-19-2021/

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Spa Notebook: Maxfield Breezes Towards Whitney

Godolphin's once-beaten Maxfield (Street Sense), the impressive 3 1/4-length winner of Churchill's GII Stephen Foster S. when last seen June 26, tuned up for his next appearance in the Aug. 7 GI Whitney S. with a half-mile breeze over the Oklahoma training track Friday morning that was timed in :49.09 (14/46).

Working in the company of stablemate Longpants Required (New Year's Day), the son of Velvety (Bernardini) covered his first two furlongs in :25.3 and was out five-eighths of a mile in 1:01.1 according to NYRA clockers.

“I just wanted them to start out nice and easy and pick it up as they went,” Walsh said. “It was a good work. I just wanted to get him back in the swing of things again. He looks like he's doing great. I was delighted with him yesterday when I got up here. He looked as good if not better than ever.”

Walsh told the NYRA notes team that he was pleased with what he saw from his charge in his first work since the Foster.

“It's three weeks since he ran and it worked out fine,” Walsh said. “I wasn't in a rush to work him back with the shipping. It's just a question of keeping him happy and keeping him healthy.”

Masqueparade Works For Jim Dandy…

Masqueparade (Upstart) was also among those on the Friday worktab at the Spa, covering four furlongs in a steady :49.23 (28/98). Recent winner of the GIII Ohio Derby, the bay is slated to make his next start in the GII Jim Dandy S. at Saratoga July 31.

“He's an improving 3-year-old mentally, physically and figure wise and that's why we're taking our chance in a race like the Jim Dandy,” said the conditioner, who added that his colt was also under consideration for this weekend's GI TVG.com Haskell S. and the Aug. 7 GII West Virginia Derby. “He's easy on himself. He won't grab the bit and go down there in :47 and change and gallop out in a minute, which is good at this point in time. It might help his longevity.”

Hendrickson, Casse Reflect on Schuylerville Win…

One day following Pretty Birdie (Bird Song)'s front-running success in the GIII Schuylerville S., trainer Norm Casse and John Hendrickson, the husband of the late Marylou Whitney, were still on cloud nine.

“Everyone assumes I love horse racing because of who my family is and who my father is, but Smarty Jones (Elusive Quality) is the reason I fell in love with horse racing,” said Casse. “I think we all know the story on how that one ends with Marylou beating him [with Birdstone with the Triple Crown on the line in 2004], and now I train for her. It's just surreal. I thank her and John [Hendrickson] so much. They've really given me everything and I really appreciate everything they've done.”

Added Hendrickson of the late owner/breeder, “This is where she felt the most alive. This is the way she is alive and she has a win on Opening Day. It's pretty special. This is a dream come true for me and Marylou. Things getting back to normal and winning on Opening Day, she's throwing a party. She said, 'I want to race, get back to work.'”

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Maxfield ‘Back In The Swing Of Things’ With Half-Mile Breeze At Saratoga

Godolphin homebred Maxfield, a multiple graded stakes winner, breezed a half-mile in 49.09 seconds Friday morning on Saratoga's Oklahoma training track in company with maiden-winning filly Longpants Required [49.37] in preparation for the nine-furlong Grade 1, $1 million Whitney on Aug. 7 at the Spa, which offers a “Win and You're In” berth to the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Maxfield, trained by Brendan Walsh, was caught by NYRA clockers through splits of 25.3 and out in 1:01.1, galloping out strong through the turn outside of his workmate.

A winner of seven-of-eight career starts with purse earnings in excess of $1.2 million, the 4-year-old Street Sense colt captured the 2019 Grade 1 Breeders' Futurity at Keeneland.

Maxfield suffered his only career defeat in March when third in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap. In his last two starts, Maxfield has taken a big step forward, garnering triple-digit Beyers, winning the Grade 2 Alysheba [105] on April 30 and the Grade 2 Stephen Foster [103] on June 26 both at Churchill.

Walsh said he was pleased with the colt's first breeze back since his Stephen Foster score.

“It's three weeks since he ran and it worked out fine,” Walsh said. “I wasn't in a rush to work him back with the shipping. It's just a question of keeping him happy and keeping him healthy.”

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