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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