ARROGATE RETAINS FIRST POSITION, NTRA TOP THOROUGHBRED POLL (receives 35 out of 45 first-place votes)

By Joan Lawrence
NTRA —-

Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Monday, August 14, 2017) – Week 29 of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) Top Thoroughbred Poll of all ages shows little to no changes in either direction which results were released today.

The leading earner in North American racing history and trained by Bob Baffert for owner Juddmonte Farm, Arrogate (35 first-place votes, 335 points) remains in first-place. Arrogate, the Dubai World Cup winner and Eclipse Award winner remains on target for the Grade 1 $1million TVG Pacific Classic this Saturday, August 19 at Del Mar Race Course a “Win and You’re In” division for a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 4.

Gun Runner (8 first-place votes, 320 points) keeps the second berth for owners Wincehll Thoroughbreds LLC, Three Chimneys Farm and trainer Steve Asmussen. The Candy Ride colt won his second straight “Win and You’re In” (Stephen Foster (G1), Churchill Downs, June 17) qualifying event in the Whitney last Saturday for a shot at the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic.

Two-time Eclipse Award winner Songbird (2 first-place votes, 270 points) remains in third after her victory in the Delaware Handicap (G1) this past month. Her previous start was the Grade 1 Ogden Phipps “Win and You’re In Breeders’ Cup Distaff Division,” on June 10 at Belmont Park. Songbird, owned by Richard Porter’s Fox Hill Farm and trained by Hall of Famer Jerry Hollendorfer, is confirmed to make her next start in the Personal Ensign (G1) on Aug. 26 at Saratoga.

In fourth is the five-year-old mare, Stellar Wind (200 ) followed by Grade 1 Diana winner Lady Eli (162) in fifth for Sheep Pond Partners.

Rounding out the remaining top-ten in descending order are: Mor Spirit (153); Mind Your Biscuits (117); Abel Tasman (88); Shaman Ghost (79) and Lady Aurelia (53).

The NTRA Top Thoroughbred Poll concludes November 6 after the running of the Breeders’ Cup.

The full results for the NTRA weekly Thoroughbred poll can be found on the NTRA website at:

https://www.ntra.com/ntra-top-thoroughbred-poll-august-14-2017/

Preview of vote by voters can be viewed at:

https://www.ntra.com/wp-content/uploads/Polls-week29-by_voter-2017.pdf

About the NTRA
The NTRA is a broad-based coalition of more than 100 horse racing interests and thousands of individual stakeholders consisting of horseplayers, racetrack operators, owners, breeders, trainers and affiliated horse racing associations, charged with increasing the popularity, welfare and integrity of Thoroughbred racing through consensus-based leadership, legislative advocacy, safety and integrity initiatives, fan engagement and corporate partner development. The NTRA, Based in Lexington, Ky., owns and manages the NTRA Safety & Integrity Alliance; NTRA.com; the NTRA Top Thoroughbred and NTRA Top 3-Year-Old weekly media polls; the Eclipse Awards; the National Handicapping Championship; NTRA Advantage, a corporate partner sales and sponsorship program; and Horse PAC, a federal political action committee. NTRA press releases appear onNTRA.com, Twitter http://e.ntra.com/t/l?ssid=22493&subscriber_id=aegrfrlvuqlspaezjqpofhmsskitbhg&delivery_id=bvjxymtonciqekrtdrezcnritvsabap&td=K-m5bPUA7apkQ7UIk0xrfQ7n-(@ntra) and Facebook(facebook.com/1NTRA).