Little change for Week #15 in the latest Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings as Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman’s 4-year-old McKinzie holds onto the top spot with 287 votes, and maintains a solid lead over two-time Dubai World Cup (G1) winner, Thunder Snow (IRE), who has 183 votes in second place.
The 4-year-old McKinzie, winner of both the Alysheba Stakes (G2) and the Whitney (G1) this year, worked five furlongs in 59.80 handily at Santa Anita Park on Monday in preparation for the Sept. 28 Awesome Again (G1) Stakes. McKinzie, a bay son of 2006 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner Street Sense, is trained by Bob Baffert, who won consecutive Breeders’ Cup Classics from 2014-2016 with Bayern, American Pharoah and Arrogate.
William S. Farish’s Code of Honor (175 votes), winner of the Runhappy Travers Stakes (G1), moves up from fourth to third place this week, switching positions with Centennial Farm’s 4-year-old Preservationist (162 votes), winner of the Suburban (G2) at Belmont Park and the Woodward (G1) at Saratoga.
Gary and Mary West’s 3-year-old Maximum Security (149 votes), retains the fifth spot. Maximum Security, the TVG.com Haskell Invitational (G1) winner, had to be scratched Tuesday afternoon from Saturday’s Pennsylvania Derby (G1) at Parx, due to a colon problem that developed shortly after the colt returned from a morning work on Monday, according to trainer Jason Servis. The medical issue is not considered career threatening.
China Horse Club International, WinStar Farm and Head of Plains Partners’ 5-year-old Yoshida (JPN) (134 votes) is in sixth place, followed by TVG Pacific Classic (G1) winner Higher Power (87 votes) in seventh.
Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable’s 4-year-old Vino Rosso (83 votes) retains the No. 8 ranking, slightly ahead of Robert LaPenta, Madaket Stables, Siena Farm and Twin Creeks Racing Stables’ 4-year-old Catholic Boy (66 votes) in ninth.
With the announcement that that Gary and Mary West’s Game Winner is off the Breeders’ Cup Classic trail, Fox Hill Farm’s Omaha Beach, winner of Arkansas Derby (G1), has moved back into the Top 10, with 45 votes.
The Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings, a weekly rating of the top 10 horses in contention for the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Santa Anita Park, Nov. 2, are determined by a panel of leading Thoroughbred racing media, horseplayers and members of the Breeders’ Cup Racing Directors/Secretaries Panel. Rankings are announced each week through Oct. 15 and can be found on the Breeders’ Cup website along with the list of voting members.
In the Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings, each voter ranks horses by assigning their allotted votes on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 system in descending order.
Breeders’ Cup Classic Rankings Top 10 – Sept. 17, 2019 *
| Rank | Horse | Total Votes | First Place Votes | Previous Week | |||||
| 1 | McKinzie | 287 | 26 | 1 | |||||
| 2 | Thunder Snow (IRE) | 183 | 1 | 2 | |||||
| 3 | Code of Honor | 175 | 0 | 4 | |||||
| 4 | Preservationist | 162 | 0 | 3 | |||||
| 5 | Maximum Security | 149 | 1 | 5 | |||||
| 6 | Yoshida (JPN) | 134 | 0 | 6 | |||||
| 7 | Higher Power | 87 | 0 | 7 | |||||
| 8 | Vino Rosso | 83 | 0 | 8 | |||||
| 9 | Catholic Boy | 66 | 1 | 9 | |||||
| 10 | Omaha Beach | 45 | 0 | 11 |
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