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Rombauer Retains Tops Spot In NTRA 3-Year-Old Poll

John and Diane Fradkin's Grade 1 Preakness Stakes winner Rombauer has retained the No. 1 ranking in the latest National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top Three-Year-Old Poll over last year's 2-year-old champion and Kentucky Derby fourth-place finisher Essential Quality. There were no changes in the order of the top 10 horses from last week.

Trained by Michael McCarthy, Rombauer, a bay son of Twirling Candy, received 12 first-place votes and 300 points. He is expected to start in the final jewel of the Triple Crown, the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes, on June 5. Godolphin's Essential Quality, the 5-2 Kentucky Derby favorite, also has 12 first-place votes, but is eight points shy of first place with 292 points. Mandaloun, also trained by Cox, is in third place with four first-place votes and 262 points. Owned by Godolphin, Mandaloun finished second in the Kentucky Derby. Roadrunner Racing, Boat Racing, Strauss Bros Racing and Gainesway Thoroughbreds' Hot Rod Charlie, third in the Kentucky Derby, is in fourth place. Trained by Doug O'Neill, Hot Rod Charlie has 221 points. Zedan Racing's Medina Spirit, third in the Preakness after winning the Kentucky Derby, is in fourth place. Trained by Bob Baffert, Medina Spirit has seven first-place votes and 210 points.

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, second in the Preakness, is in sixth place. Trained by Steve Asmussen, Midnight Bourbon has 186 points. Shadwell Stable's undefeated bay filly, Malathaat, winner of the Grade 1 Longines Kentucky Oaks, is in seventh place. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Malathaat has 171 points. Kirk and Judy Robison's Jackie's Warrior remains in eighth place. Winner of the Grade 2 Pat Day Mile presented by LG&E and KU, Jackie's Warrior, trained by Asmussen, has 72 points. WinStar Farm and CHC's Life Is Good, off the Triple Crown trail due to injury, is in ninth place. Life Is Good has one first-place vote and 57 points. Hronis Racing and Talla Racing's Rock Your World, winner of the Grade 1 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, rounds out the top 10 with 52 points.

Godolphin's 4-year-old Mystic Guide remains on top of the NTRA National Thoroughbred Poll for older horses. Winner of the Group 1 Dubai World Cup at Meydan on March 27, Mystic Guide returned to the work tab on May 19 with a 4-furlong breeze at Fair Hill in Maryland in preparation for a summer campaign. Trained by Mike Stidham, Mystic Guide received 31 first-place votes and 334 points. The 4-year-old Charlatan, runner-up in the Group 1 Saudi Cup, is in second place with one first-place vote and 219 points. Korea Racing Authority's Knicks Go, winner of the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup, is now in third place. Trained by Cox, Knicks Go has two first-place votes and 218 points. Robert and Lawana Low's 4-year-old Colonel Liam (217 points), who finished in a dead heat for first with Domestic Spending in the Grade 1 Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic Stakes at Churchill Downs, drops one spot to fourth place.

Places five through 10 in the poll remain the same as last week. My Racehorse, Spendthrift Farm LLC and Madaket Stables' Monomoy Girl, the reigning older dirt female Eclipse Award-winner, is in fifth place with 189 points. St. George Stable's 5-year-old mare Letruska (148 points), winner of Oaklawn's Grade 1 Grade Apple Blossom, is in sixth place. The 4-year-old Gamine (142 points), last year's champion female sprinter, has one first-place vote and 142 points, and is in seventh place. Godolphin's 4-year-old Maxfield, trained by Brendan Walsh, is in eighth place with one first-place vote and 141 points. The Cox-trained 4-year-old filly Shedaresthedevil (96 points), winner of Churchill's Grade 1 La Troienne Stakes, is in ninth place. Completing the top 10 is Klaravich Stable's 4-year-old Domestic Spending (55 points), for trainer Chad Brown.

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 Three-Year-Old Thoroughbred Poll concludes following the Belmont Stakes on June 5 and 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-may-24-2021/

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Courses Charted For Classic Runners-Up Mandaloun, Midnight Bourbon

Neither Mandaloun, second behind Medina Spirit in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby, nor G1 Preakness runner-up Midnight Bourbon are bound for Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., on June 5 for the Belmont Stakes or undercard races.

Daily Racing Form reports that Juddmonte Farms' Mandaloun will be pointed by trainer Brad Cox toward the June 13 TVG.com Pegasus Stakes at Monmouth Park, a prep for the G1, $1-million Haskell Invitational at the Oceanport, N.J., track on July 17. Winner of the G2 Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds, the Into Mischief colt could wind up as the official Kentucky Derby winner if a split sample confirms the presence of a corticosteroid and stewards disqualify Medina Spirit from the victory.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, a son of Tiznow, finished sixth after a rough start in the Kentucky Derby and then second in the Preakness. Winchell Thoroughbreds racing and bloodstock advisor David Fiske said Midnight Bourbon could also wind up in the Haskell or in the G2, $600,000 Jim Dandy on July 30 at Saratoga.

Midnight Bourbon defeated Mandaloun winning the G3 Lecomte, then finished third behind that colt in the Risen Star.

“He came out of the Preakness great, but he may have put the groundskeepers out of a job he was eating so much grass,” Fiske told the New York Racing Association media office. “He shipped back to Churchill and has been jogging great. There aren't any big target races after the Belmont prior to the Jim Dandy or Haskell, so we'll focus on those races for now.”

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Rombauer in Good Order, Ships to Belmont Monday

After a few hours of sleep, trainer Michael McCarthy was back at Pimlico Race Course Sunday morning, quietly talking about Rombauer (Twirling Candy)'s emphatic victory in the 146th GI Preakness S. Saturday and looking ahead to the June 5GI Belmont Stakes. Bred and raced by John and Diane Fradkin, Rombauer rallied to a convincing 3 1/2-length score Saturday and stopped the clock in 1:53.62, the eighth-fastest time since the race distance was changed to 1 3/16 miles in 1925.

While McCarthy, 50, acquired plenty of experience in Triple Crown races during his long tour as an assistant to Hall of Fame-elect trainer Todd Pletcher, Rombauer was his first starter in the series since he opened his own stable in 2014. The well-respected, low-key, California-based horseman started receiving congratulatory calls and texts as soon as the race was over.

“It's been great,” McCarthy said. “It's nice to see this all kind of come together. The horse justified what I thought of him all along.”

The Fradkins and McCarthy have decided to ship Rombauer to Belmont Park Monday and are seriously considering running him in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont.

“We will go ahead and go to Belmont,” McCarthy said. “We will get there and see how he is and where he is at and go from there.”

Elsewhere in the Preakness aftermath, Steve Asmussen, the Hall of Fame trainer of Winchell Thoroughbreds' runner-up Midnight Bourbon (Tiznow), said Sunday that the Belmont is under consideration for his trainee.

“Proud of his effort,” Asmussen said. “He had every chance yesterday and he ran second. He's a good horse who needs to continuously get better, but we have a lot of confidence that he will, pedigree-wise, and who he is physically and the fact that he has continuously improved to this point.”

Midnight Bourbon left Pimlico to van back to Churchill Downs right before dawn Sunday morning. Asked if the Belmont might be in his plans, Asmussen said, “Of course it is. All major 3-year-old races are under consideration for the rest of the year. Let's get him back to normal circumstances just to see where we're at with him. That also gives us time to see everything that's out there and knock out a plan for him for the second half of the year.”

The highly-scrutinized pair of Bob Baffert trainees, GI Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit (Protonico) and Concert Tour (Street Sense), exited their respective third and ninth-place efforts in good order according to assistant trainer Jimmy Barnes. Both boarded a van bound for Churchill at 10 a.m. Sunday morning.

“We will evaluate everything and Bob will see what direction he wants to go with them,” Barnes said.

Added Barnes of Medina Spirit's run, “He ran his race. The second quarter is what got us. Once they threw up that 46 [:46.93 seconds], it was a bit much. We just need to give him a little bit more time between races. Bob knows what to do and I will feed him the information and he will tell us what to do.”

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Preakness Notes: Belmont Stakes Under Consideration For Runner-Up Midnight Bourbon

Steve Asmussen, the Hall of Fame trainer of Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, said Sunday that the June 5 Belmont Stakes (G1) is under consideration for the runner-up in Saturday's Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

With Irad Ortiz Jr. in the saddle, Midnight Bourbon prompted a solid pace set by Medina Spirit, who led throughout in the May 1 Kentucky Derby (G1), before drawing clear in upper stretch. The son of Tiznow looked home free until Rombauer swept by in the final sixteenth of a mile for a 3 1/2-length victory.

“Proud of his effort,” said Asmussen, who was seeking a third victory in the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown following two-time Horse of the Year Curlin (2007) and filly Rachel Alexandra, the 2009 Horse of the Year. “Irad gave him a great chance, and the horse ran hard and ended up second. But I don't think everybody is that far off. He's a quality horse, continuously running better.

“He had every chance yesterday and he ran second. He's a good horse who needs to continuously get better,” he added, “but, we have a lot of confidence that he will, pedigree-wise, and who he is physically and the fact that he has continuously improved to this point.”

Midnight Bourbon left Pimlico to van back to Churchill Downs right before dawn Sunday morning. Asked if the 1 ½-mile Belmont Stakes might be in the plans, Asmussen said, “Of course it is … all major 3-year-old races are under consideration for the rest of the year. Let's get him back to normal circumstances just to see where we're at with him. That also gives us time to see everything that's out there and knock out a plan for him for the second half of the year.”

Midnight Bourbon went off as the 3-1 second choice behind 2-1 favorite Medina Spirit. The massive colt came into the 1 3/16-mile classic with a 2-2-3 record in eight starts, his only out-of-the-money finish coming when he broke awkwardly before finishing sixth in the Kentucky Derby. Midnight Bourbon won the Lecomte (G3), was third in the Risen Star (G2) and checked in second in the Louisiana Derby (G2) at Fair Grounds. He had beaten and held his own against Mandaloun, who was second by a half-length in the Kentucky Derby.

Midnight Bourbon's pedigree and his up-close running style would seem to lend itself to the Belmont Stakes. Tiznow, who was pensioned as a stallion last fall, is the sire of 2005 Belmont winner Da' Tara.

“Absolutely,” Asmussen said of the Belmont suiting Midnight Bourbon. “I think he has proven he is more than worthy of consideration for the best 3-year-olds in the country.”

Medina Spirit, Concert Tour Exit Preakness in Good Order
Jimmy Barnes, the longtime assistant of trainer Bob Baffert, was packing up shop Sunday morning at Pimlico Race Course. Medina Spirit, who tired to third in the Saturday's Preakness (G1), and Concert Tour, who checked in ninth, got on a van bound for Churchill Downs at 10 a.m.

Once they get to Kentucky, it will be up to Baffert to decide what is next for the two colts.

“We will evaluate everything and Bob will see what direction he wants to go with them,” Barnes said.

Both Zedan Racing Stables' Medina Spirit and Gary and Mary West's Concert Tour came out of the Preakness in good shape, he said. Medina Spirit, who led throughout the Kentucky Derby (G1) two weeks earlier, set the pace before being overtaken in the stretch by Midnight Bourbon, who was then passed by the late-charging Rombauer.

“He ran his race,” Barnes said. “The second quarter is what got us. Once they threw up that 46 (46.93 seconds), it was a bit much,” Barnes said. “We just need to give him a little bit more time between races. Bob knows what to do and I will feed him the information and he will tell us what to do.”

Concert Tour was never a factor in the Preakness. He was bumped at the start by Risk Taking and the colt that was expected to vie for the lead never got there.

It was his second straight loss after starting his career with three wins.

“That's horse racing,” Barnes said. “You can't go out there and win every race. You try to. There were nine other horses out there and if you don't get your trip, you don't get your trip.”

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